News Summary

A petition has been launched in Canada to challenge the actions of payment processors like Visa and Mastercard, which have been censoring certain video games on platforms such as Steam and Itch.io. Initiated by Carmen Tam from Waterloo, Ontario, with the support of local Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, the petition addresses the issues stemming from actions by Australian conservative group Collective Shout. Their efforts led to the banning of ‘adult only’ content, a term which is not clearly defined, resulting in the de-indexing of numerous games, including those from LGBTQ+ creators. This has raised concerns about freedom of expression and corporate censorship, affecting developers, artists, and other creatives. The petition calls on the House of Commons to prevent financial discrimination by payment platforms, ensure transparency regarding content restrictions, and protect creators’ rights to produce legal adult content. It has garnered approximately 4,000 signatures and is encouraging further action through social media.