日本語
한국어
Tiếng Việt
简体中文
Global financial powerhouses Mastercard and Visa are currently at the center of a heated controversy, facing immense pressure from an escalating online petition. This petition urges the payment giants to cease their alleged ‘policing’ and ‘censorship’ of legal adult-oriented fictional content across various digital platforms. The controversy highlights a broader debate around content moderation by payment processors, with the petition specifically pointing to the influence of ‘Collective Shout,’ an Australian feminist advocacy group known for its campaigns against online games depicting themes like ‘rape and incest.’
Petition Amplifies Calls for Content Freedom
A burgeoning Change.org petition has become a focal point of this debate, asserting that Mastercard and Visa should resist pressure from groups like ‘Collective Shout’ that seek to impose specific ‘moral agendas’ on legal fictional entertainment. The petition accuses these prominent payment processors of a “hypocritical” stance: actively suppressing legal digital content—including books, games, films, and artwork—that might be deemed offensive by some, while reportedly overlooking more serious allegations of real abuse on other platforms.
A core argument within the petition champions individual autonomy in content consumption. It emphasizes that “Adults are capable of choosing what they want to watch, read, or play. If someone doesn’t like a certain type of entertainment, the solution is simple: walk away. Nobody is forced to engage with content they find offensive — but they have no right to dictate what others are allowed to enjoy, especially when it’s within the bounds of the law.” This statement underscores a foundational principle of free expression and consumer choice in the digital realm.
Demands for Transparency and Creator Protection
The petition outlines several specific demands for Mastercard and Visa to address their content moderation policies:
- End Censorship: Immediately cease the censorship of legal, fictional content that adheres to existing laws and platform guidelines.
- Resist Activist Influence: Reject pressure from advocacy groups that sensationalize or misrepresent fictional content as genuinely harmful.
- Ensure Transparency: Implement full transparency regarding any content restrictions, providing clear explanations for their rationale.
- Protect Creator Rights: Uphold the rights of creators to produce legal adult content and establish a fair, accessible appeals process for any penalized media.
The petition culminates with a powerful call for financial intermediaries to step back from cultural gatekeeping: “Let creators create. Let consumers choose. Payment processors and activist groups should not be cultural gatekeepers in a digital age.” This reflects a growing concern among digital rights advocates about the expanding role of private companies in regulating online expression.
Collective Shout’s Controversial Campaigns
At the heart of the ongoing petition is ‘Collective Shout,’ an Australian feminist non-profit co-founded by Melinda Tankard Reist. This organization has a documented history of campaigning for the removal of certain content, particularly online games that they claim depict themes of rape and incest. However, the group has also drawn criticism for allegedly influencing the takedown of non-pornographic games, including those with LGBTQ+ themes.
In past statements, Collective Shout claimed credit for influencing Steam, a major digital game distribution platform, to revise its policies and remove numerous games. According to their archived press releases, their efforts led to the removal of 81 out of 500 games they had flagged as ‘explicit.’ Furthermore, the organization previously penned an open letter directly to Mastercard and Visa, urging them to halt payment processing for gaming platforms hosting “rape, incest and child sexual abuse-themed games.” They questioned the ethical alignment of facilitating such transactions with the payment giants’ stated corporate values and mission statements.
Allegations of Media Censorship Surface
The controversy extends beyond payment processors to claims of media censorship. VICE Media’s contributor, Ana Valens, was among the first to report on Steam’s updated policies concerning adult games and Collective Shout’s role in the campaign. However, a significant development occurred when Savage Ventures, VICE’s owner, reportedly demanded the removal of these articles. This led to Valens and several other writers from Waypoint, VICE’s video games vertical, resigning in protest.
Valens publicly stated, "VICE's owner Savage Ventures has requested the removal of my Collective Shout articles. This is due to concerns about the controversial subject matter—not journalistic complaints. Effective immediately, I will no longer contribute to Waypoint. I suggest letting VICE's owner know if this upsets you."
Subsequent reports, including one from Aftermath, highlighted that Waypoint’s coverage was crucial in initially linking Steam’s new adult game policies to Collective Shout’s broader censorship initiatives. During a Twitch stream, Valens further detailed her experience, explaining that Savage Ventures had expressed worries that articles on sensitive sexual or political topics might negatively affect Waypoint’s Google search rankings and overall visibility. She recounted being told explicitly that “it’s an issue with… Google, Google overlords,” and that content was deemed “too R-rated for Google,” particularly for Google Discover. Valens also confirmed that previous articles she wrote concerning Kirsche, a controversial VTuber with far-right political leanings, were similarly taken down.
Critics Speak Out, Collective Shout Remains Quiet
In response to the backlash, Collective Shout initially claimed that “misogynistic” gamers attacked their team, allegedly sending threats and encouraging self-harm while defending the content in question. They asserted, “The irony isn’t lost on us. This is a major win for women and girls.” Interestingly, the organization has since made its X (formerly Twitter) account, often its primary channel for updates, private.
Among the most prominent critics of the campaign is popular YouTuber Cr1TiKaL, whose video, “Censorship Is Out of Control,” directly challenged Collective Shout. Cr1TiKaL accused the group of overstepping its stated mission, alleging that its influence now extends to aggressively censoring a wide range of adult content, and even mainstream video games like ‘Detroit: Become Human’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto V’.
Cr1TiKaL vocally questioned the extent of Collective Shout’s power over major financial entities. He speculated, “Collective Shout is a very powerful organisation that somehow has a lot of leverage on payment processors… they have got these payment processors by the nutsack and they are squeezing the piss from their balls.”
As of now, neither Mastercard nor Visa has issued a public statement or response to the growing criticism regarding their alleged involvement in the ‘Collective Shout’ campaign.