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.
I’m voting for Donald Trump because of Collective Shout.
Since neither candidate represents the working class and all we have is a culture war, I’m going to fight back against censorship wherever I can.
All of the people on the left pushing censorship and attacking freedom of speech are directly responsible for driving me further to the right.
You mean the guy that is president right now, while this is happening, that is doing nothing about it because he’s too busy dealing with his pedophile rape escapades becoming public knowledge?
Not to mention: the guy that can’t run for president again (yet)
I’m sorry. Did you just say you want to vote Trump because you think they’re against censorship? The guy that threatens journalists, and politicians that report or say bad things about them. Do you not think that’s censorship?
I don’t even have a bone in this fight. I just want to understand the thought process.
Censorship means different things to different people. For those on the left censorship means suppression of liberal ideas, suppression of journalism exposing corruption and brutality, suppression of peoples history. For those on the right censorship means they can’t say the n word anymore.
Would you care to guess what censorship means to haloduder?
No don’t want to guess. I’d rather ask him directly instead of making assumptions.
Collective Shout is a conservative, forced-birth anti-trans sex-nagative women-patronizing christian organization masquerading as feminist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Tankard_Reist
They call themselves “feminist” but they are as “feminist” as the guys who finally allowed women to drive in Saudia Arabia.
Upset about conservatives and their puritanical practices. Votes for puritanical conservatives. What, do you think because he fucks kids he will allow your gooner game?
Useful idiots on the left are the only ones attacking freedom of speech, saying its a dogwhistle.
Useful idiots on the left are the only ones trying to control narratives by controlling what information people are allowed to share.
You are one of the worst cucks I’ve ever seen. Go read this guy’s comment history, holy shit.
My brother in Christ they are a self proclaimed anti queer conservative organization. Do you want to be right? Do you care if you’re correct or not? Or do you want to blame everything on the ghosts in your head?
Ah yes, because the left wing is famous for the proliferation of requiring a government issued ID to use the internet in ways that make them uncomfortable.
Collective Shout is a conservative organization you numbskull.
So that means the left isn’t censoring me as much as the right?
Tbh liberals love censorship as much as conservatives (see the proscription of Palestine Action in the UK).
But it’s a bit silly saying you are going to vote for a conservative because a conservative group is censoring you.
I guess only in a country that is so far leaning on the right thinks that liberals are “on the left”.
Well that’s why I didn’t say “leftists.” But if we’re continuing to be honest, leftist governments also censor. I don’t think you can find any ideology that doesn’t censor, actually.
These are Australian conservatives, they don’t value freedom of speech as much as American conservatives.
They are willing to abuse censorship to push their agendas, just like American liberals.
You know that American conservatives have been banning books from libraries, and banning topics like racism and homophobia from being talked about in schools, right? American conservatives love censoring anything they don’t agree with. They are the original snowflakes.
I suspect your butt is just chapped because you can’t drop a hard “r” on BlueSky.
Hi. Texas conservatives in Houston took over the city schools and removed libraries to create a prison inside the school itself. Fuck you and your talks of censorship. You don’t know censorship and think the conservacucks don’t do it because they ain’t targeting your white cis heterosexual ass. You have no opinion worth censoring because your just that white bread bland.
You’re a good example of the average dumbass American.
This is what we call ragebait! There’s too much going on in the news to even bother with this type of ‘person’.
Not really. You don’t like what I have to say, so you’re trying to get me censored by crying ‘ragebait.’
You’re another example of why censorship on the left drives people further to the right.
I’m going to block you now since I can tell you need the last reply.
That’s not censorship. That’s just social consequences.
That’s some strong protection. You’ve spent the last hour getting the last word in on everyone replying to you.
Don’t feed the trolls.
Voting for Donald Trump in which election?
He’s on his last legal term
reddthat please please add a downvote option
But the people on the right are also pushing for censorship. You’re just choosing what flavour of censorship.
In America you don’t have any other parties with more moderate idealogies either. It’s either the one or the other.
So before you go voting for a literal criminal as the opposition, why not first burn down your shitty system and rebuild something better.
The people on the right aren’t censoring me for disagreeing with them.
You’re really not paying attention, then. Because that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Where? I can say whatever I want on 4chan, but I come to any of the liberal social media sites and get banned for disagreeing with the crowd.
You aren’t being banned. You’re are being fact checked, cuck.
Freedom of speech is not the same thing as "freedom from consequences for saying something idiotic’
Sure buddy. Let’s just ignore Twatter and Facebook like that.