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Mastercard release a statement about game stores, payment processors and adult content

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Mastercard release a statement about game stores, payment processors and adult content
9 comments

  • Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations.

    Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.

    So, Mastercard is claiming either

    1. that the content Steam and itch were forced to remove was unlawful; or
    2. that they absolutely did no pressure to force either to remove the content

    Either way it smells like bullshit.

    • What they're saying is: "we haven't called out any specific games, but we told steam if they can't prove a game is "lawful" well cut them off".

      This effectively has a chilling effect because it means anything that could be illegal becomes toxic and risky for steam.

      Its a way for Mastercard to dictate what can be sold without actually dictating what can be sold. Now the real issue is that at the end of the Mastercard is in a position where this matters and they can influence things. Should work just like cash and leave the government to decide what items are legal/illegal.

      • What they’re saying is: “we haven’t called out any specific games, but we told steam if they can’t prove a game is “lawful” well cut them off”.

        That interpretation is inviable because Mastercard is claiming to allow "all" lawful purchases on its network. And, given a purchase is lawful unless proved contrariwise (as a consequence of innocence unless proved guilt), it would need evidence that a purchase is unlawful, in order to prevent it.

        So it's more than just dictating what can be sold without actually stating it - people there are lying.

        Now the real issue is that at the end of the Mastercard is in a position where this matters and they can influence things. Should work just like cash and leave the government to decide what items are legal/illegal.

        Full agree.

  • Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.

    This sounds like trying to have their cake and eat it too. Steam wouldn't have delisted that many games without a significant threat of retaliation from the payment processors for possibly publishing something that broke whatever criteria they count as an unlawful purchase.

    One case I can think of is the ease of using a VPN to purchase content that is illegal where the person resides but legal elsewhere. Stopping purchases through VPNs would be one thing that valve has no realistic way to address, but if the payment processor insisted that they must avoid that kind of unlawful purchase or cut off all payments then I could see the end result of just removing all of the content.

    Not saying it is that exact thing, just an example of something unrealistic that can still be described as a card being used for 'unlawful purchases'.

  • Double reply regarding Stripe's open statement, as it's related to this topic:

    Stripe is claiming to be "pressured" by an unknown party. But it's going out of its way to defend that party, by not naming it and by claiming it's a "partner".

    • Ahh partners with religious zealots, the best kind of relationship

  • Itch already came out and said it was not VISA/Mastercard but PayPal/Stripe

9 comments