Mastercard to Review Pornhub Ties After Column Spurs Outrage – By Jennifer Surane (Bloomberg) / Dec 5 2020
- Payments network said it doesn’t tolerate illegal activity
- New York Times column described recordings of assaults on site
Mastercard Inc. is reviewing ties to MindGeek after a New York Times column accused the parent of the Pornhub.com website of distributing videos depicting child abuse and nonconsensual violence.
Mastercard said Saturday it doesn’t tolerate illegal activity on its payment network, and that it works with law enforcement and organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to detect illegal transactions. Pornhub denies it allows child videos on its site.
“We are investigating the allegations raised in the New York Times and are working with MindGeek’s bank to understand this situation, in addition to the other steps they have already taken,” Mastercard said in a statement. “If the claims are substantiated, we will take immediate action.”
Nicholas Kristof’s column in the Times describing recordings of assaults and a naked video of a 14-year-old girl sparked outrage on social media, including a Twitter post from activist investor Bill Ackman asserting card companies should withhold payments or withdraw participation with Pornhub “until this is fixed.”
