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Visa/Mastercard told two major game distribution services to remove certain games, because a religious organization pressured them. Gamers are pissed. (discuss.online)
submitted 3 days ago by bytesonbike@discuss.online to c/peoplebluesky@lemmy.world
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[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 126 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The reason they want emails is because the phone calls are slowing the call center SLA to a crawl and tanking their metrics for the quarter. If this keeps up, the payment processor will push back next time and Christian authoritarians won't be able to get away with shenanigans like this again.

They probably have their customer support laid out as phone, email, and maybe chat. Phone is the most expensive support channel because it's 1 person to 1 problem and it's impossible to scale, so they can't roll out a bot or ignore the metrics for long. Keep up the pressure!

[–] tmyakal@infosec.pub 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Do we think these payment processors are running their own call centers? Seems more likely that they're contracting the work out, and those firms just aren't going to get their contracts renewed.

[–] GaMEChld@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I think call centers and answering services may be volume based pricing. I know at medical practices I've worked at, the answering services used charged by calls received. I don't know about at the scale of large companies like VISA.

[–] Awkwardparticle@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I just tried Visa Canada and I got someone without any accent, so either they have their own or they have to run it out of Canada because of financial laws. I call the English line speaking French

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Be sure to speak English if they transfer you to the French line

[–] elevenbones@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

Did they have a Canadian accent, eh?

[–] DreamAccountant@lemmy.world 142 points 3 days ago (11 children)

Despite what religions say, this is what they actually do:

They attempt to control your life based on their fiction.

Every time. Every year. Every century. It never stops. This is what religion is about. Controlling everything and everyone. For the better? Nope. Definitely not.

[–] squozenode@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

Would be nice if any religion ever had even a shred of proof. Imagine if a Catholic priest actually could do the Healing hands?

Nope. Just controlling dicks.

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[–] cynar@lemmy.world 177 points 3 days ago (1 children)

For maximum disruption, phone, then email. If they don't respond in a timely manner (or it's boilerplate bs), another phone call to "clarify" things.

Just remember, the grunts on the phone aren't your enemy. Your goal is to maximise the amount of time you swallow, not to upset them. They could often be allies in hiding.

We don't have to truly break them. We just have to be more annoying than the religious nutjobs.

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 73 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

One-tap dial phone numbers:

Master card

Visa

PayPal

Stripe (unconfirmed)

Script:

I’m calling to urge [company name] to immediately end the policy that unfairly targets the adult content industry. I’m also asking that [company name] sit down with stakeholders- specifically sex workers and adult content creators- to develop solutions that ensure equitable access to financial services, create stability, and reduce harm for sex workers.

[–] LordKitsuna@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago

Mastercard is now trying to get you to give your bank/card in order to take the complaint lol had 3 reps ask. Don't give em the info they might cancel your card or some shit in retaliation

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

Called both, both wanted me to email. I read script then told them to stay in their lane. They both said this matter has already been documented. Keep calling should call them every day if you have the time. Also its, 1, 1, then just hit # when they ask for card number. Then you get transferred. I had four minute wait with Visa.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 days ago (10 children)

I have a friend who runs starlight shop. She’s not allowed to use cards for many things because the payment processors are convinced she is running a scam since they have classes on reiki and palm reading and herbs and stones and other stuff they tell her they “don’t pay fortune tellers.”

This really should be regulated. Electronic payments must accept everything cash can be used for or nothing. None of this censorship bullshit.

[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

To be fair, that shit is a scam...

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

But its an honest scam. Its what the customers want and they'll go elsewhere to get it if need be. Visa shouldn't be saying they wont have any part in someone's poor choices.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Yes and no. It can be, but not universally. As she explained it to me, it’s sort of a way of gaslighting people into being more critical about themselves, their lives, their points of view. Their idea is to push for positive change in the world by demonstrating they have that capacity in themselves. They never say “you can only buy magic rock or herb here” or “all palm readings done other places are wrong, you must come here” and they also turn away people who get waaaay to into it. I think it’s all hippy crystal-gripping nonsense and we respect each others viewpoints, but I do appreciate what she’s trying to do and for some people it does work.

On the other hand, look what we let Christians get away with. All she would have to do to get approval from payment processors is throw a cross on the logo. THATS the issue here.

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[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 5 points 2 days ago

afaik it’s not a new policy for mastercard/visa: what’s new is that valve, itch, and even visa and mastercard were just kinda ignoring it

worth noting it’s not all adult content either… things like fisting even are fine, but “bodily fluids” are not. it’s a bit of a weird one all round

i think that they just did a big over-correction

and to be clear, i absolutely DO NOT think even the policy as it stands/stood should hold: they shouldn’t be in the business of morality policing almost anything - if i want to pay for videos/games with bodily fluids in porn then they should facilitate that transaction

[–] Goretantath@lemmy.world 47 points 2 days ago

Censorship is the fetish of the rich and powerfull.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 43 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

Also kinda weird it was just these two platforms. Browsing through the Switch 2 store the other day, I saw a few porn games on there, too. One of which was literally about the "step sister stuck in the washing machine" meme.

  1. It's Nintendo FFS; it's wild they even let such games on their store regardless of outside influence.

  2. Incest.

[–] irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sorting by new on the eshop shows a surprising number of slop games.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 10 points 2 days ago

Quite a contrast to the Nintendo Seal of Quality that is largely responsible for saving the video games industry after the crash in '82.

[–] a_wild_mimic_appears@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

omg so much shovelware and cheapest porn

i expected that the Nintendo eShop would be more curated, but this is no better than other stores - no, it's even worse, because parents fully have the same expectation that i had before seeing that, and many will just hand a nintendo device over to the kid without checking.

and 70$ for cyberpunk 2077 - it's a new console, not a new game ffs.

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

It's Nintendo FF

That's the point; the washing machine and the step brother are a metaphor for Nintendo, the step sister for their customers.

Incest

No, no, it's metaphorical criticism.

[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is there hope for the US? They are looking more and more like Saudi Arabia. What's next, killing journalists and banning the opposition?

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Americans have alternatives in the form of Amex and Discover card apparently. Do we also have any alternative that works EU-wide at least? And where does one even get a card that's not Mastercard or Visa, if that's all that the local banks and my neobanks offer?

[–] MrPozor@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We Europeans should soon be able to pay with Wero online. And we can hope that the digital Euro and GNU Taler will establish themselves in the future.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

That's great news for online, but I'd also like a card for offline and that still means either Mastercard or Visa :(

[–] a_wild_mimic_appears@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

AFAIK, Wero has planned payment per NFC, but it might take a while. I wish some Austrian banks would have already joined in on Wero, but alas...

Wero already can transfer money between people btw, sending to phone numbers - if the other side already has Wero, it's direct, if not, they can supply a bank account for deposit

[–] viking@infosec.pub 2 points 2 days ago

You can get Amex in Europe fairly easily, but acceptance is spotty. I used to have a card in Germany, and while it was usually not a problem with online purchases (domestic and international), shops were 50:50 at best.

[–] febra@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wero is a fairly new technology on the market. They advertise it as being made in Europe. A bunch of major banks in Germany, France, and Belgium seem to support it. I haven't used it yet though.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 days ago

It's a cool thing and will be great for online payments but I don't think there's a solution for in person payments yet, still need one of the big 2 for that

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[–] ltxrtquq@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So hey, what are the actual alternatives to Visa and Mastercard, especially if you live in the US?

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Amex and discover for credit card. PayPal (has also done similar), crypto if accepted and debit.

[–] Goretantath@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Paypal is not a valid alternative to this situation.

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