Payment processors Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe are facing criticism for pressuring online gaming platforms Itch.io and Steam to remove hundreds of games deemed inappropriate by the Australian anti-porn lobby group, Collective Shout. Itch.io temporarily removed all NSFW content, causing backlash and a petition with over 147,000 signatures protesting censorship. Elon Musk voiced support for the petition, highlighting concerns about payment processors controlling online content. While Collective Shout aimed to remove games violating payment platform policies, the broader removal impacted LGBTQ+ content, raising further concerns. The controversy underscores the debate over censorship and the role of payment processors in regulating online content.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.