Visa suspends card payments for ad purchases on PornHub and MindGeek amid controversy

Visa is suspending card payments for advertising on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek after a lawsuit stoked the controversy that the payments giant could be facilitating child pornography.

A federal judge in California on Friday denied Visa’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by a woman who accuses the payment processor of knowingly facilitating the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub and other sites operated by parent company MindGeek.

Visa CEO and Chairman Al Kelly said in a statement Thursday that he strongly disagrees with this court and is confident in his position. 

“Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse,” Kelly said. “It is illegal, and Visa does not permit the use of our network for illegal activity. Our rules explicitly and unequivocally prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts…