this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2025
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Updated: 8/1/2025 4:18 p.m. ET: In a statement to Kotaku, a spokesperson for Valve said that while Mastercard did not communicate with it directly, concerns did come through payment processor and banking intermediaries. They said payment processors rejected Valve’s current guidelines for moderating illegal content on Steam, citing Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7.

“Mastercard did not communicate with Valve directly, despite our request to do so,” Valve’s statement sent over email to Kotaku reads. “Mastercard communicated with payment processors and their acquiring banks.  Payment processors communicated this with Valve, and we replied by outlining Steam’s policy since 2018 of attempting to distribute games that are legal for distribution.  Payment processors rejected this, and specifically cited Mastercard’s Rule 5.12.7 and risk to the Mastercard brand.”

Rule 5.12.7 states, “A Merchant must not submit to its Acquirer, and a Customer must not submit to the Interchange System, any Transaction that is illegal, or in the sole discretion of the Corporation, may damage the goodwill of the Corporation or reflect negatively on the Marks.”

It goes on, “The sale of a product or service, including an image, which is patently offensive and lacks serious artistic value (such as, by way of example and not limitation, images of nonconsensual sexual behavior, sexual exploitation of a minor, nonconsensual mutilation of a person or body part, and bestiality), or any other material that the Corporation deems unacceptable to sell in connection with a Mark.”

Violations of rule 5.12.7 can result in fines, audits, or companies being dropped by the payment processors.

(page 3) 50 comments
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[–] darthelmet@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago

Gotta love it when companies put something in their legal agreements that just says “we can do whatever the fuck we want.” Is the rest of the wall of text just there to hide that somewhere someone won’t read?

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago

Fuckers are just propagating the fury without providing a fix. Are the censored games back or not? Because right now they aren't. Put them back and make Mastercard do something about it now that they have staged their position. Collective Shout is playing both sides.

[–] Eyekaytee@aussie.zone 55 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

so it was about potential brand damage that doesn’t exist? and/or has this actually brand damaged visa and mastercard more than ignoring collective shout?

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 55 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

What I see is Mastercard hiding behind their generic rules for processors and being fine with the processors taking unilateral action that could damage their brand.

Mastercard should demand they rescind the decision based on a flawed interpretation of their rules since the content IS NOT ILLEGAL where Steam provides it, or drop those processors entirely due to the brand damage their unilateral decision has caused. If Mastercard lets this sit, that signals that they agree with this decision, regardless of what they say, and they should be treated as such.

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[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Decoy321@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Oh shit, that's an old school reference. Poor Mr. Cheeseface.

For those unfamiliar, this is from an old National Lampoons magazine.

A few years later, someone actually shot that dog.

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 48 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

We have seen the same behavior out of the credit card companies before. Its pretty clear that they do pressure companies to remove content they don't approve of. Its censorship and its legal since the companies are not the government. They are just tied in at a high level to the banking industry. Its a good example of how lack of regulation harms both creators and consumers.

It lets a bunch of poorly adjusted individuals force their personal mental problems on us all.

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[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 43 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I guess turn the boobs butts and dicks up to 10,000 then. In every game.

Its time for Gordon freeman to do unholy things with a headcrab!

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Lamar IS fully debeaked, after all... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[–] kinther@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Oh god why did you have to put that image in my head. No wonder it hides in the vents

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[–] Electricd@lemmybefree.net 26 points 1 week ago

Maybe the payment processors lied?

[–] lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Direct link: Mastercard rule 5.12.7 Illegal or Brand-damaging Transactions

As much as we hate x, airing negative publicity over their attempt to deny responsibility by directly citing back their policy & asking questions might be good.

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