By Denny Jacob


Visa Inc. said Thursday it will suspend Visa acceptance privileges for TrafficJunky, Pornhub parent company MindGeek's advertising arm, until further notice based on a recent court ruling.

Chief Executive Alfred Kelly said Visa cards will not be able to be used to purchase advertising on any sites including Pornhub or other MindGeek affiliated sites during the suspension.

A federal court denied Visa's motion to be removed from litigation involving MindGeek last Friday.

Mr. Kelly said the company strongly disagrees with this decision. He also disputed reports that Visa cards can be used on Pornhub. The CEO said with respect to MindGeek specifically, the company suspended sites that contained user-generated content in December 2020 and that acceptance on those sites hasn't been reinstated.

"Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse. It is illegal, and Visa does not permit the use of our network for illegal activity. Our rules explicitly and unequivocally prohibit the use of our products to pay for content that depicts nonconsensual sexual behavior or child sexual abuse," the chief executive said.

The credit card giant's connection to Pornhub gained attention following an article in the New York Times in December 2020. The issue was brought up again on Tuesday after billionaire investor William Ackman on CNBC said Visa has the power to pressure Pornhub to remove child pornography from its site. The Pershing Square CEO also said he offered to help finance lawsuits philanthropically against Visa.


Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

08-04-22 1303ET