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CBC
27 minutes ago
- CBC
How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games
Social Sharing Video game developers are speaking out after two popular PC games stores made it harder — even impossible — to purchase thousands of games and other digital artworks, as a result of pressure exerted by an Australian anti-porn advocacy group. The takedown came after Collective Shout successfully lobbied payment networks and processors to stop facilitating financial transactions from storefronts Steam and until games with certain content were removed. But developers say the range of affected works goes well beyond games with explicit sex scenes. Also caught in the sweep are a teen-rated romantic comedy game, some LGBT-themed games by award-winning developer Robert Yang, and a 1920s alternate-history art book that has no sexual content. "This is incredibly worrying," said Adrienne Bazir, a Toronto-based game developer and artist who makes LGBT games. "Even just queer people holding hands is seen as not safe for work." CBC spoke to over a dozen Canadian games developers, creators and industry watchers who say the situation highlights the power held by international financial institutions in determining what kinds of art is deemed acceptable for others to consume, and frequently forces LGBT content and narrative into the darkness. What's happened so far? In July, Collective Shout published an open letter saying Steam and Itch hosted games with "rape, incest and child sexual abuse" content. About a week later, Steam removed hundreds of games with adult or sexual content from sale. Steam, the world's largest storefront and management platform for PC games with a reported 132 million active monthly users, said in a statement that "certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks." It has the effect of shrinking the space available for diverse sexual expression. - Jean Ketterling, University of Saskatchewan Payment processors include credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard, and other companies that can facilitate purchases like PayPal and Stripe. Those games were removed from sale to ensure customers could purchase other titles and game content, the statement added. On July 28, Itch, a relatively smaller player, deindexed all games and other works on its site with the NSFW (not safe for work) tag. That means you can't find those works on the site unless you know the exact name of the creator or game. According to Game File reporter Nicole Carpenter, searching the NSFW tag on Itch before July 28 brought 7,167 results. Today, it surfaces five or fewer. Itch's creator Leaf Corcoran said the site's staff is "conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors." He later said Itch is seeking other payment processors that are willing to work with platforms hosting adult content. CBC reached out to several payment processors for comment. In a statement, Stripe said, "We do not support adult content," while PayPal replied that it will take action on anything "that violates the law, our policies, or the policies of our partner banks and card networks." Risky business? Collective Shout is an advocacy group that describes itself as a "movement against the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls." Its director, Melinda Tankard Reist, told CBC that her group reached out to payment processors after receiving no reply to about 3,000 emails sent to the Valve Corporation, which owns Steam. Tankard Reist said the group was not seeking to have Itch deindex all its NSFW gaming content. However, developers, artists and other supporters say the campaign has affected works with sexual content that don't cross the line into abusive or illegal behaviour. That statement doesn't ring true for Jean Ketterling, a University of Saskatchewan assistant professor who specializes in the study of sex and video games. "This is a tried-and-true playbook. It has the effect of shrinking the space available for diverse sexual expression," she said. Ketterling pointed to a long history of anti-porn or anti-sex work organizations campaigning against content they deem to be obscene, immoral or illegal. Similar recent cases involved lobbyists targeting payment processors for OnlyFans and Pornhub. WATCH | When pressure from banks almost led to OnlyFans banning sexual content: OnlyFans to soon ban sexually explicit content after pressure from bankers 4 years ago "We're seeing a lot of LGBTQ content come up. We're seeing a lot of stuff that's not even pornographic, but that is just exploring sexual violence or exploring the trans experience," she said. Val Webber, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab (SHAG) at Halifax's Dalhousie University, says "high-risk" categories for payment processors typically include items with a potential for fraud or that contain potentially illegal content — such as adult content, firearms, gambling and some medications. But the processors' terms of service aren't always clear, leading to a wide interpretation of what kinds of content can be considered high-risk, she said. "They're effectively in charge of creating de facto obscenity law without ever naming specific sexual acts or fantasies or content that is, in fact, not allowed on the platforms," she said. Several Canadian developers and artists are frustrated that an Australian lobby group and U.S.-based payment processors have impacted their income. "What we have is a situation where American financial institutions are able to do de facto censorship on a global scale against content that isn't illegal," said Ash Krieder, an independent romance writer based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., whose works were deindexed from Itch. "This is hampering freedom of speech in our country." Tankard Reist said location is irrelevant. "The internet has no borders. Women and girls everywhere are impacted by male violence against women and misogyny in general which we believed these games perpetuated." The counter-campaign Affected developers and their supporters have started phone campaigns and petitions to pressure payment processors to reverse their actions. One site lists several email addresses and phone numbers for people to lodge their complaints with Visa, MasterCard and other payment companies. with only 1,000 calls or emails," said Bazir.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Organizers promise affordable, Canadian focused event as Queen City Ex kicks off
The Queen City Ex kicked off on Wednesday. (Mick Favel / CTV News) The Queen City Ex (QCX) is now underway, and organizers are saying this year's event will be affordable, Canadian focused and an unforgettable time. With the addition of West Coast Amusements (WCA), the midway looks considerably different with a selection of rides new to QCX. 'This is a big step for us. We're excited to be here. We are going to do the best job we can. I'm very confident we're going to make a lot of people happy,' Rob Hauser, WCA's president said. Survey results from the 2024 QCX reported affordability as a major factor for attendees. Leading up to the 2025 QCX, pricing for attendees was a planning point for organizers, as well as still hosting a financially successful event. Cathleen Betker is the event manager of the QCX. She said months of number analysis went into making decisions for the fair. QCX The Queen City Ex kicked off on Wednesday. (Mick Favel / CTV News) 'Where we landed was kind of in a middle point where we can still achieve our revenue, but it's more approachable for the community,' she said. A public concern for several past QCX events has been the level of security on site. Metal detectors are returning at all entrances, as well as a visible police presence. 'We also do a lot of community outreach at events like this. We know a majority of our population is going to be here, so we want to be where the people are,' Sgt. Ross Kauk with the Regina Police Service said. For those not planning on going on the rides, there are a variety of foods to try and activities to attend indoors. An all-Canadian lineup of musical acts will also grace the stage each night, with Blue Rodeo scheduled to play on Wednesday evening.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Sawatsky Sign-Off: 'Duckana' Stickers
Vancouver Watch "Do something that brings joy." Adam finds out how a man is being inspired to hatch happiness by a viral statue that's half duck half banana.
