Itch.io: Update on NSFW Content

Immediate situation and scope

• itch.io has removed or hidden >20k NSFW games/books after its credit card processors threatened to cut off service.
• Commenters see this as part of a broader pattern: Steam’s recent policy change, Pornhub/OnlyFans pressures, and similar actions against VPNs, Tor, Sci‑Hub, Wikileaks.

Who is driving the censorship?

• Disagreement over the main driver:
  • Some blame a small number of ideologically motivated billionaires and evangelical or “anti‑porn feminist” NGOs like Collective Shout.
  • Others point to government “jawboning” (Operation Choke Point–style pressure) and regulators using banks/cards as indirect censors.
  • A minority argue it’s mostly economics: higher fraud/chargeback rates and legal risk around adult content.
• Several note that advocacy letters alone seem insufficient to move Visa/Mastercard, implying unseen political or regulatory pressure.

Legal vs fictional harm

• Many stress that the banned games are legal, fictional depictions (including coercive/rape scenarios) sold under clear NSFW tags.
• They contrast this with:
  • Porn sites that hosted non‑consensual/trafficked content (seen as legitimately requiring intervention).
  • Violent games and TV (GTA, Skyrim, Game of Thrones) which depict murder and torture but face no comparable payment bans.
• Some are personally “icked out” by rape/blackmail content but insist that fictional depictions should remain lawful and purchasable.

Payment processors as de facto regulators

• Strong concern that a global Visa/Mastercard duopoly has become an unelected moral censor and sovereignty issue: local laws permit content that global processors can effectively outlaw.
• Several call for treating payment infrastructure as a common carrier or public utility: no service denial except for illegality/fraud, with risk priced via higher fees, not bans.

Alternatives: crypto, bank rails, and new systems

• Crypto advocates argue this is a textbook use case for Bitcoin/stablecoins: censorship‑resistant, borderless payments.
• Critics respond that today’s crypto is slow, UX‑hostile, scam‑ridden, and still dependent on centralized exchanges that can be pressured.
• Others highlight national or interbank schemes (UPI, Pix, Interac, SEPA, domestic card networks) as proof that non‑Visa/Mastercard rails are feasible, but note cross‑border gaps and political capture risks.

Policy and political responses

• Some push US bills like the “Fair Access to Banking Act” that would bar financial institutions from inhibiting lawful transactions; others are unsure if the text actually protects marginalized users.
• Suggested structural fixes include: stricter antitrust action, regulating card networks like utilities, or even nationalizing/creating state payment networks to provide neutral competition.

Culture-war and feminism tangents

• Long subthreads debate whether groups opposing sexualized content represent feminism, religious conservatism, or both.
• Related arguments flare around “attractive women” in games, body standards, breast sliders, trans inclusion, and bathroom politics, illustrating how NSFW censorship quickly entangles broader culture‑war disputes.