Visa Should Stop Processing Payments that Fuel Sexual Exploitation

NCOSE Commends Shareholder Effort to Hold Visa Accountable

Washington, DC (January 24, 2023) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) reaffirms its call to Visa to stop processing payments for XVideos, XHamster, and OnlyFans in order to stop fueling sexual exploitation, in light of a second lawsuit filed against the company.

Visa is being sued by a shareholder seeking to inspect the payment processor’s books and records to investigate the “disinterestedness” of Visa’s board over its business with companies and platforms with ties to child sexual abuse material.

“Visa has rightly been under fire for facilitating child sexual abuse material by processing payments for MindGeek, Pornhub’s parent company. It is past time for Visa to cut ties completely with MindGeek and other pornography enterprises like XVideos, XHamster, and OnlyFans – all of which are rife with child sex abuse material, images of sex trafficking and rape, and image-based sexual abuse,” said Lina Nealon, vice president of corporate advocacy for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

“Visa’s competitors have already cut ties with the pornography industry. Amex made the decision a long time ago not to process payments for pornography. PayPal cut ties with several pornography companies. Mastercard has instituted more stringent rules, including age and consent verification measures and has stopped processing for XVideosRED. Why can’t Visa?

“Visa must stop propping up an exploitive  industry that facilitates and profits from sexual abuse and exploitation. We hope more shareholders and customers will hold Visa accountable,” Nealon said.

Visa is on the Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation. More information can be found at: EndSexualExploitation.org/Visa.

About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.