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Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

pcgamer.com

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Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#71

Post by pjc50 »

p_ing wrote: post #58
cedws wrote: post #50

I'm glad the Mastercard-Visa duopoly is finally getting some attention, these companies shouldn't be allowed to exercise the financial control they do. Payment infrastructure is not a free market - you can't just choose to pay via some other processor if they turn you down, they ARE the processors. Therefore, they should be under intense scrutiny when they refuse.

There's no meaningful attention, here. Until it is on the US Gov't radar, this 'attention' is just a collection of upset redditors furiously posting forum messages which will fissile out in a few months, at most. Besides, it's not like you can boycott Mastercard or VISA.

I don't think having this on USgov radar would improve the situation. Since FOSTA/SESTA, and various state level age verification laws, it seems likely that government attention would simply bring a bigger hammer down on games. It's the US anti-money-laundering system that ultimately exerts a lot of financial control, after all.

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#73

Post by delta_p_delta_x »

p_ing wrote: post #58
cedws wrote: post #50

I'm glad the Mastercard-Visa duopoly is finally getting some attention, these companies shouldn't be allowed to exercise the financial control they do. Payment infrastructure is not a free market - you can't just choose to pay via some other processor if they turn you down, they ARE the processors. Therefore, they should be under intense scrutiny when they refuse.

There's no meaningful attention, here. Until it is on the US Gov't radar, this 'attention' is just a collection of upset redditors furiously posting forum messages which will fissile out in a few months, at most. Besides, it's not like you can boycott Mastercard or VISA.

> it's not like you can boycott Mastercard or VISA

In many countries, if you pay locally, you absolutely can. China's UnionPay, India's UPI, PayNow in Singapore, PromptPay in Thailand, PayPal, Cash App, and more.

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#74

Post by zb3 »

criley2 wrote: post #14
reactordev wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incorrect, it applies to companies too as companies are citizens according to citizens united ruling over a decade ago.

>Incorrect, it applies to companies too as companies are citizens according to citizens united ruling over a decade ago. This doesn't even make sense. If a corporation is a person, then 1A Freedom of Speech means that the government cannot restrict the corporations political speech. The corporation is absolutely allowed to restrict their users free speech, including political speech, because A) the bill of rights onl…

What kind of "speech" are we talking about here? If a payment processor is already required to be secure, it could also be required not to deny any legal transactions. This isn't even political, you wouldn't expect a mobile carrier to censor your phone calls (at least in the EU we don't have that.. yet).

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#75

Post by freddie_mercury »

giantg2 wrote: post #27

Lots of outrage at the card companies, but strangely, no outrage at the laws that actually caused this. One is the Australian law to remove that type of content and the other is the US law that says the payment processor can't participate in illegal transactions.

Why would there be outrage at laws when the article we're talking about specifically says this isn't about any laws but instead about a Mastercard rule about damaging their brand?

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#76

Post by raincole »

giantg2 wrote: post #70
logicchains wrote: post #21

What's stopping a large, profitable company like Valve from starting its own payment processor? Surely the technology part of it can't be an impossible hurdle.

If they start their own payment processing company, they will then be subject to the same laws and regulations and the existing processing companies. Who manages the money doesn't matter. Even if you use Crypto, Steam would still remove the games due to the Australian law.

Steam didn't remove the games due to Australian law lol. Where did you get this idea?

Steam games' availability is per-country. They could've removed games for Australian users only. NSFW games are not shown to Chinese and German players on Steam since forever.

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#77

Post by lan321 »

turtlebro wrote: post #19

[flagged]

As per their rule 5.12.7, this is forbidden:

"The sale of a product or service, including an image, which is patently offensive and lacks serious artistic value (such as, by way of example and not limitation, images of nonconsensual sexual behavior, sexual exploitation of a minor, nonconsensual mutilation of a person or body part, and bestiality), or any other material that the Corporation deems unacceptable to sell in connection with a Mark."

Any movie or game with rape or mutilation is against the rules, as per their example. Mutilation is everywhere. Even It Takes Two has you mutilating a plushie elephant. Serious artistic value ignored, since they decide on that one and art quality is subjective.

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#78

Post by ginko »

p_ing wrote: post #58
cedws wrote: post #50

I'm glad the Mastercard-Visa duopoly is finally getting some attention, these companies shouldn't be allowed to exercise the financial control they do. Payment infrastructure is not a free market - you can't just choose to pay via some other processor if they turn you down, they ARE the processors. Therefore, they should be under intense scrutiny when they refuse.

There's no meaningful attention, here. Until it is on the US Gov't radar, this 'attention' is just a collection of upset redditors furiously posting forum messages which will fissile out in a few months, at most. Besides, it's not like you can boycott Mastercard or VISA.

Honestly I hope this comes under the EU's radar.

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#79

Post by zb3 »

mananaysiempre wrote: post #15
koonsolo wrote: post #12

If only we had some kind of decentralized internet money system.

Or a legally protected right to transact, ideally with cash-equivalent anonymity. I’d take either one.

Both require repealing AML/CFT laws. But maybe that's the way and we should focus on the underlying crime instead..

Re: Mastercard deflects blame for NSFW games being taken down

#80

Post by WolfRazu »

IshKebab wrote: post #62
logicchains wrote: post #21

What's stopping a large, profitable company like Valve from starting its own payment processor? Surely the technology part of it can't be an impossible hurdle.

How would that help? Then MasterCard would drop them directly.

Well in this case MasterCard is claiming it wasn't them, but their intermediary.
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