Like, maybe not because of censorship per se, but maybe for abusing their power as an oligopoly or going against the desire of their users?
Like, maybe not because of censorship per se, but maybe for abusing their power as an oligopoly or going against the desire of their users?
Visa and MasterCard probably want government intervention at this point. Regardless of the approach they take now, their phone lines will be clogged up by opposing views voicing their concerns.
By giving in they have promoted this sort of behaviour as effective which means:
If the US gov (or the AUS/UK whomever is housing these lunatics gov) decided to make this illegal IE: payment providers cannot prevent legal business based on their own morality or something like that, then visa & MC could hold their hands up and say “sorry dudes take it up with your elected rep” and wash their hands of the situation altogether.
Campaigns like this have always been effective. And this is what the Right does, they complain en masse about everything that offends their hypocritical views. They are the ones that believe 110% in “cancel culture”, and then turn around and call the Left out when we block Nazis.
Also, MC and Visa are well within their rights to tell groups like this to go pound rocks, but groups like this also know if they grind down resources they usually win. The only way to prevent it is to ban the protesting of corporations, but then when they do the bad shit they love to do we’ll be without any recourse. It’s a bit of a double-edge sword.