Visa said Wednesday it will allow customers to make payments on some adult websites owned by Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek. The allowed websites, Visa says, only host professionally produced adult studio content rather than user-generated content, which it currently bans.
“Following a thorough review, Visa will reinstate acceptance privileges for MindGeek sites that offer professionally produced adult studio content that is subject to requirements designed to ensure compliance with the law,” Visa said in a statement.
This comes after Visa temporarily suspended purchases on Pornhub, earlier this month, following allegations made in a New York Times report of child abuse and nonconsensual activity on the site. The credit card company says its temporary ban on Pornhub and other MindGeek platforms is still in place until its ongoing investigation is finalized.
The Times’ report described recordings on Pornhub’s website that included assaults of unconscious women and girls and videos of naked underage girls. Pornhub has denied those allegations, calling them “irresponsible and flagrantly untrue.”
Since then, credit card companies including MasterCard and Discover have cut financial ties with the website and banned customers from making purchases on its platform.
Pornhub has taken action in response to the allegations, removing millions of explicit videos from unverified uploaders on its platform. The removals are part of its efforts to enact more safety measures that prevent child abuse material on its site. Its latest measure resulted in a decrease of the videos on its website from 13.5 million to roughly under 3 million.
Now, Pornhub says, only content uploaded by verified users will be allowed.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.