THE VISA PAYMENT SYSTEM IS FACING A LAWSUIT FOR MEDIATION IN THE MONETIZATION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

The story dates back to 2020, when the MindGeek group of companies, the beneficiary of the Pornhub Internet resource, received accusations of distributing and monetizing child pornography. At the same time, Visa, which is the main intermediary in processing payments in favor of MindGeek, announced the suspension of processing operations until the conflict is resolved.

The company began experiencing problems after a number of minors filed a statement about the illegal distribution of intimate videos with their participation. After that, MindGeek updated its moderation policy for content uploaded to Pornhub, which did not solve the problem of the distribution of illegal videos.

So, a certain Serena Fleites and 34 other victims filed a lawsuit against MindGeek, citing a violation of federal legislation on human trafficking.

The present claim is justified by the fact that being an intermediary of MindGeek, Visa received income from illegal activities first. Claims against the payment system are pending before the Federal District Court of the Central District of California.

Judge Cormac Carney said this week that there is reason to believe that Visa knowingly processed payments that allowed MindGeek to monetize "a significant amount of child pornography." However, in order to make a decision, the court needs to know much more about Visa's involvement, which requires the provision of more evidence of the damage caused during the disclosure process extended until December 30, 2022.

"The court can safely conclude that Visa intended to help MindGeek monetize child pornography," Carney wrote, calling Visa a tool potentially contributing to criminal activity. 

In his ruling, Carney granted Visa's motion to dismiss allegations that the company knowingly participated in child trafficking, but denied another motion to dismiss allegations that it colluded with MindGeek to obtain financial benefits from child trafficking activities.