QotD: “Mastercard severs links with pornography site”

Mastercard says it is ending the use of its cards on the pornography platform Pornhub after a review confirmed the presence of unlawful content.

A New York Times investigation accused the site of being “infested” with child-abuse and rape-related videos.

Pornhub, which has denied the claims, called Mastercard’s actions “exceptionally disappointing”.

Fellow payments giant Visa has suspended use of its cards on the site pending the outcome of its own review.

Mastercard launched its inquiry after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof named it in his New York Times article, saying he “didn’t see why search engines, banks or credit-card companies” should “bolster” Pornhub.

“Our investigation over the past several days has confirmed violations of our standards prohibiting unlawful content on their site,” a statement from Mastercard said. “We instructed the financial institutions that connect the site to our network to terminate acceptance.”

The company said it was continuing to investigate possible illegal material on other websites.

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