On the Itch.io Situation

Important news + a call to action.

What Manner of Man is complete! Read it for free ✨ here ✨ or buy the better, more exciting revamped edition via Amazon or (DRM-free) on Itch.io (RELEVANT.)

Hello Darlings,

This is a relatively minimal newsletter for the purpose of sharing news regarding the purge of adult content that has occurred Itch.io, and instructions on how to participate in the mass action that has been organized in response.

This is of immediate relevance to you as readers of my work. Itch.io is at present one of the most flexible and fair platforms available for independent artists to sell digital products, which is why it is my preferred platform to sell copies of my most recent novel, What Manner of Man. I have, thus far, been spared any direct consequence of the purge, and as far as I can tell WMOM does not fall afoul of the platform's new terms, but my ability to earn money from my work is broadly threatened by this turn of events.

I am deeply committed to opposing the extralegal overreach credit card companies are undertaking to control what adults can buy and sell on the internet.

My experience with calling PayPal has led me to believe that most people so far are calling Visa and Mastercard and overlooking the online processors. (I posted a little about it on Bluesky and Tumblr.)

It was honestly very easy! Below, under Contact Info + Scripts, you’ll find various detailed instructions on how to do the same.

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The Situation

On July 23rd, Itch.io, one of the most popular platforms for hosting queer and adult independent media, went through a large-scale crackdown on adult content. Steam has also recently undergone a similar wave of censorship.

Games were the primary targets, but novels and comics were also hit in the process, a significant number of which were not pornographic but addressed sensitive themes for artistic purposes, were queer, etc. Most “adult content” has been de-listed from the site's search, and some creators were banned without warning. This situation is especially dangerous in the current political climate, and still evolving.

This crackdown was conducted, as it always is, because of threats to the platform from payment processors. Over the past few years, payment processors have escalated in extralegal censorship actions, using our reliance on their services as leverage to act as arbiters of what can be published online. With this newest escalation, the situation has become an emergency.

The payment processors caved to an influence campaign by Australian extremist anti-pornography group Collective Shout, who have been inundating Visa and Mastercard with calls to force video game platforms to stop hosting adult content.

Collective Shout claim to have sent in 1000 emails to get this result. As has been said elsewhere, there are way more than a thousand of us. If we can make enough noise, they will not be able to ignore us.

Graphic by Voiddebris on Bluesky, used with permission.

The following resources are being kept updated with the latest news:

• Anti-Censorship Campaign

• Stop Paypros

• Yell At Money

The information below has been compiled from these resources

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Contact Info + Scripts

Stripe

Stripe is where the bulk of our effort should go, because they’re the ones putting the pressure on Itch.io:

“The open case we have with Stripe right now is probably most critical right now. They apparently are or will be making a determination on the eligibility of our entire platform soon. Do what you want with that information”

• Phone: (US) 877-887-7815

  • This number leads to a voicemail box that is active. People have reported receiving callbacks about the messages left in this box, so it is worth the effort of calling.

• Email: complaints@stripe.com

• Online form: Stripe Complaint Submission Form

• Address: 354 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, California, 94080 (send them letters!)

PayPal:

• Phone (US): 1-888-221-1161

• Phone (outside US): 1-402-935-2050

• Hours: 6am - 6pm PT

• Address: 2211 N 1st St. San Jose, California, 95131

• Online (for non-users or logged out - UK because the US site ONLY allows logged in users)

• Complaints forms can also be accessed by logged-in users.

Mastercard:

• 914.249.2000 (Global Headquarters, US)

• 636.722.6100 (Operaction Center, US)

• 971.4.391.4200 (Dubai HQ)

• 305.539.2300 (Latin America HQ)

• 914.249.6518 (North America HQ)

• 1-800-627-8372 (US Only)

• 1800-120-113 (Australia)

• +1-636-722-7111 (International)

• customer_support@mastercard.com

• Address: 2000 Purchase St, Purchase NY 10577

• Online form

• List of executives' LinkedIn profiles

MasterCard Corporate & Global

• Seth.Eisen@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 249 3153 - Global Communications

• William.Tsang@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 414 5420 - Global Communications

• Jennifer.Erickson@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 249 1284 - Global Communications

• James.Thorpe@mastercard.com - 44 7807 378 265 - Core Payments

• Izabela Teixeira@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 758 2856 - Services

• Will.O'Connor@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 249 2121 - U.S. and Canada

• Emilija.Businskas@mastercard.com - 1 (437) 244 6282 - Canada

• James.Issokson@mastercard.com - 1 (914) 249 6286 - Europe

Visa:

• +1 650 432 3200 (Headquarters, US)

• 1-800-847-2911 (US + Canada)

• List of phone numbers by region

• 1-888-289-9322 (Confidential Compliance Hotline)

• askvisa@visa.com

• Online form

Sample Script:

Customer Complaint Dept,

This message is to lodge an official complaint about the ongoing rampant restrictions your company has placed on legal sales made by legitimate businesses.

These restrictions are not only counter to the concept of freedom of speech and expression, but they harm consumers, businesses, and they harm your company’s bottom line.

The following actions are absolutely necessary to protect the freedoms of your client base and the sustainability of legitimate business practices:

1. Remove from your Terms of Service any mention barring the use of your service for sale and purchase of legal products.

2. Contact Steam (Valve), Itch.io, and any other company you have previously put pressure on to retract your content restrictions.

Put in place protections to prevent such restrictions from being put in place in the future without ample warning and time to contest them.

If these changes aren't made then I, along with many others will be forced to seek other options for processing payments.

Sincerely, A Concerned Customer

Script by Voiddebris on Bluesky. More scripts can be found at Stop-Paypros.

Further advice that may assist you in making your calls can be found in the following Bluesky thread:

(Original thread)

Other Things You Can Do

Residents of the US can:

• Sign this petition from the ACLU.

• File a complaint against these companies with the Better Business Bureau.

• Contact your representatives about payment processors acting as censors. You can find your reps’ contact information on 5calls.org.

Sample script for contacting representatives, from here:

Hello Representative/Senator [LAST NAME],

-or-

Hello office of Representative/Senator [LAST NAME],

My name is [YOUR FIRST NAME/SCREEN NAME] and I am one of your constituents.

I am calling today to express my concerns with technological censorship. Legal and legitimate adult entertainment is being banned in this country. These bans are not by legislators, but by payment processors like Mastercard and Visa.

Mastercard and Visa are improperly creating legislation online through their user and merchant policies. They are banning creator and user access to content that is legal and legitimate. They are inciting fear and panic to encourage censorship.

[Feel free to talk about your own experiences with censorship here!]

Please take a stand against this impermissible censorship. This is a direct attack on an adult's right to legal content. No one but the legislative branch should be allowed to create legislation.

Please support the Federal Trade Commission in their stand against technological censorship to protect the first amendment.

Thank you for taking the time to listen today.

Other countries:

• Australians can register a concern about Collective Shout's wrongful listing as a charity

  • Collective shout's profile + ABN

  • Raise a concern with the ACNC

• Canadians can send a Public Enquiry to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and alert them of the situation. For Program area of concern, this would fall under "Fundamental Freedoms."

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Thank you!

If I may repeat some links which I included earlier, you can stay updated on events at:

• Anti-Censorship Campaign

• Stop Paypros

• Yell At Money

I am, as always, your devoted servant,
St John Starling