Thursday 4 August 2022 08:28 PM Visa's CEO hits back at claims the company facilitated the spread of child porn trends now
Visa slams the accusations that the company facilitated the spread of child pornography by continuing to grant payments to Pornhub, operated by MindGeek, following a judge refused Visa's request to be excused from a child porn lawsuit.
'Let me be clear: Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse,' Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly said in a Thursday statement. 'Our rules explicitly and unequivocally prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts nonconsensual sexual behavior or child sexual abuse.'
Kelly's statement comes nearly a week after US District Judge Cormac Carney in California denied Visa's request to be dismissed from a case where 34 women who said that Pornhub had hosted videos of them being sexually assaulted or abused as minors without their consent.
The judge found that 'Visa knew that MindGeek's websites were teeming with monetized child porn.'
Kelly said that he 'strongly' disagrees with the judge's decision and is 'confident' in Visa's position. He further claimed that Visa 'suspended sites that contained user-generated content in December 2020.'
'Despite what you have read in recent days, you cannot use your Visa card on Pornhub,' Kelly said.
Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly slams the accusations that the company facilitated to the spread of child pornography by continuing to facilitate funds to Pornhub, operated by MindGeek
Kelly (above) released a statement on Thursday after a US District Judge denied Visa's request to be dismissed from a case where 34 women who claim that Pornhub had hosted videos of them being sexually abused as minors without their consent.
Visa CEO Kelly released a statement on Thursday to address the allegations made in the lawsuit. He claimed that 'the allegations in this lawsuit are repugnant and stand in direct contradiction to Visa's values and purpose'
In light of the judge's ruling on Friday, Visa has also suspended acceptances of MindGeek's go-to advertising company, TrafficJunky, and other advertising services on Pornhub and MindGeek-affiliated sites.
Visa will be accepted at MindGeek studios for legal adult entertainment only, according to Kelly.
The lawsuit filed by nearly three dozen women in June 2021, accuses Pornhub of profiting off of videos posted without their consent, which feature revenge porn and rape.
Of the 34 women, 14 were underage when the videos were uploaded and another 14 were victims of convicted sex criminals. The women reside throughout the US, UK, Thailand, and Canada.
The lawsuit alleges that Mindgeek 'is also one of the largest human trafficking ventures in the world. And it is likely the largest non-regulatory repository of child pornography in North America and well beyond.'
'This is a case about rape, not pornography. It is a case about the rape and sexual
