MasterCard, Visa Pull Card Use on Pornhub, Site Purges 'Unverified' Videos
After months of pressure, the largest pornography website, Pornhub, is facing huge losses—both in content and in payment options: a critical fact many conservative activists are rightfully celebrating.
A New York Times piece started the pressure against the porn epicenter with allegations that the site contains illicit material of coerced sexual content and other egregious acts.
On Thursday, Dec. 10, Mastercard said in a statement to The Daily Caller, "Today, the use of our cards at Pornhub is being terminated. Our investigation over the past several days has confirmed violations of our standards prohibiting unlawful content on their site.
"As a result, and in accordance with our policies, we instructed the financial institutions that connect the site to our network to terminate acceptance," the statement read. "In addition, we continue to investigate potential illegal content on other websites to take the appropriate action."
The author of the spearhead campaign, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof highlighted the bravery of all who came forward with their firsthand experiences with the pornography site in his tweet:
.@Mastercard has just advised me that it has confirmed the presence of illegal material on Pornhub, so it is immediately ending Mastercard use on Pornhub. It will also address the issue on other websites. This wouldn't have happened without survivors bravely speaking up.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) December 10, 2020
Diane Hawkins, senior vice president and executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said her organization had met with Visa and Mastercard earlier this year to ask them to stop processing payments for Pornhub "and we are grateful that both companies will make these significant changes."
Since that time, the site announced the suspension of all unverified videos uploaded to its site from its conception in 2007.
Prior to this purge, the smut site hosted around 13.5 million videos, many of them from unverified user accounts. As of Monday morning, that number shrank to somewhere between 4.7 and 7.2 million, Faithwire reports.
#Traffickinghub movement founder Laila Mickelwait says, "This is a good day for victims who have been begging Pornhub to remove their abuse."
Over 10 million videos infested with rape and trafficking are now gone. This is a good day for victims who have been begging Pornhub to remove their abuse. #Traffickinghub pic.twitter.com/c4MUbWBl5W
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) December 14, 2020
But Mickelwait didn't stop there. She sent out a clarion call to hold Pornhub completely accountable for its actions.
Next for Pornhub and its executives:
— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) December 14, 2020
1. Apologies and restitution to the victims
2. Criminal investigation and prosecution
Shut it down.#Traffickinghub
This echoes the call from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, who has pushed to pass a bill that would let sex trafficking and revenge porn victims sue websites like Pornhub:
Amazing what public pressure will do. Now Congress should pass my legislation that would make Pornhub liable for all content that is non-consensual or produced through fraud or coercion https://t.co/DQ2x1XamHC
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 14, 2020
For more information on how to get involved in the fight for the innocence of thousands of children and women exploited by atrocious organizations such as Pornhub, visit traffickinghubpetition.com and watch this compelling video from Exodus Cry.
