Credit Card Companies and Banks Team Up to Fight Child Porn

WASHINGTON — Few online transactions exist beyond the scope of the nation’s credit companies and banks, which is why those financial institutions have agreed to join law enforcement officials in the fight against child pornography.

The Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography will swing into action next month, reporting child porn sites they discover to a government tip line and, once an investigation is opened, helping law enforcement track both buyers and sellers of illegal material.

“The scope of the problem is much greater than we ever thought,” said Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, a private group that runs the tip line. “It's mind-boggling. People are getting into this because they see children as a commodity. There's no question organized crime is involved."

For Allen and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the motive behind bringing the coalition of financial institutions together was simple: make child pornography unprofitable.

"This is the broadest, most comprehensive coalition we've been involved in," Joshua Peirez, a MasterCard executive, said. "This is not a competitiveness issue. This is about protecting children.”

Speaking in support of the unprecedented coalition, Drew Oosterbaan, chief of the Justice Department’s child exploitation section, lauded the move.

"I haven't seen anything like it," Oosterbaan said. "We're here to support the effort."

Joan Irvine, executive director of the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) added her support as well.

“ASACP supports the Financial Coalition, and we have been in contact with them,” Irvine told XBIZ. “We already work with payment processors to identify suspected CP transactions. In fact, our members include such online billing companies as Epoch, ePassporte, PPPCard, Electracash and Netbilling. We hope to share expertise and data with the Financial Coalition, to help the companies involved work toward their goal of eradicating commercial child pornography by 2008.”

Participants include Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, which cover most of the U.S. credit card market. Also involved are Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup and PayPal. Visa, MasterCard and American Express say they will identify sites accepting their cards to sell child porn but won't reveal customers unless subpoenaed.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More