UK Government: Payment Processors Can Ban What They Want
– 2 min read
After a petition reached the necessary signatures, Starmer's UK government commented on the NSFW bans payment processors pressured storefronts into. According to the UK treasury, payment processors are in the right and the government has no plans to step in. This puts the government in direct contrast to what artists and the UK games industry have asked for.
The petition asking the UK government to step in agains payment processors pressuring storefronts into banning adult content (we reported) stands at over 12,000 signatures today. Since the petition was made through the official UK petition portal, the government is required to comment on it when it breaches 10,000 signatures.
On 6 October, Keir Starmer’s cabinet did so: “Payment processors are able to choose who they process payments for, subject to any relevant requirements. The Government has no plans to intervene in those commercial decisions”, the short answer reads.
The full argument, send in by the Treasury department, reads as follows: “The Government recognises the important role payments plays in supporting a resilient, diverse and growing economy. The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK’s payment system works for all, allowing businesses and customers to transact with confidence.
The Government recognises that it is important for businesses to have greater choice in the forms of payment that they can accept. The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, set out the Government’s ambition for a world-leading payments ecosystem, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs. A key part of this ambition is the continued development of Open Banking, which enables consumers to make purchases using a wider range of payment methods, including account-to-account payments, thereby increasing competition in the payments sector. HM Treasury is working closely with the financial services regulators to deliver these outcomes.
Decisions regarding which businesses payment processors contract with are a commercial matter, taking into account the relevant requirements on the firm. These decisions will be influenced by a variety of factors, and the Government has no plans to intervene in those commercial decisions.”
This stance contradicts directly with demands not only from NSFW artists and customers, but also the UK video game industry, as association UKIE had commented and asked the government to step in for free expression and reign in payment processors’ power.
The next step in the petitions live cycle will be at 100,000 signatures, at which the demands have to be “considered for discussion” in UK parliament.
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