misk

Group Behind Steam Censorship Policies Have Powerful Allies — And Targeted Popular Games With Outlandish Claims

https://sopuli.xyz/post/30689105

Group Behind Steam Censorship Policies Have Powerful Allies — And Targeted Popular Games With Outlandish Claims - Sopuli

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.07.20-004547/https://www.vice.com/en/article/group-behind-steam-censorship-policies-have-powerful-allies-and-targeted-popular-games-with-outlandish-claims/ [https://archive.is/2025.07.20-004547/https://www.vice.com/en/article/group-behind-steam-censorship-policies-have-powerful-allies-and-targeted-popular-games-with-outlandish-claims/]

Jul 20, 2025 at 12:30pmWeb
Show threadideonekJul 20, 2025
I just wonder why they choose pink asshole as they logo.
Show threadAatubeJul 20, 2025
Why does every logo have to be called an asshole now?
Show threadideonekJul 20, 2025
Show threadAatubeJul 20, 2025
it's literally a *
Show threademeralddawn45Jul 20, 2025
Its a star shaped opening in a pink ring. Have you never seen an asshole?
Show threadAatubeJul 20, 2025
Have you never seen an asshole?
Show threadThis is fine🔥🐶☕🔥Jul 22, 2025
I’m looking at one right now.
Show threadAatubeJul 22, 2025
now you see me...
Show threadcurbstickleJul 20, 2025
Yeah there is no way I’d think “asterisk” with that logo, especially with an organization that is anti-everything in human sexuality. Aside from the one thing I’d agree with but they don’t seem to actually be interested in stopping.
Show threadCancerMancerJul 23, 2025
E Pluribus Anus
Show threadGrandwolf319Jul 20, 2025
This is why piracy is morally correct.
Show threadBjörnJul 20, 2025
I dunno, the people making the games would love to sell them but they are literally deprived of a way to take money from you. Even if you wanted to give them money. For once it’s not the publisher fucking you over.
Show threadTwinklebreeze Jul 20, 2025
This is a shit take if I’ve ever seen one.
Show threadMetostopholesJul 20, 2025

Ah, I thought it was strange for the payment processing companies to come out of nowhere.

Them being pressured by conservative prudish assholes masquerading as concerned feminists makes more sense.

Show threadgrueJul 20, 2025
Well, that’s new: usually when I need the archived article it’s because the original was paywalled, but this time the original seems to have been deleted completely. Is Vice getting censored too now?
Show threadpassepartoutJul 20, 2025

It’s weird, the link on the front page is still there, but it leads to a 404:

vice.com/…/group-behind-steam-censorship-policies…

Group Behind Steam Censorship Policies Have Powerful Allies — And Targeted Popular Games With Outlandish Claims

The organization behind Steam's latest payment processor censorship, Collective Shout, appears to tell some misleading tales.

VICE
Show threadnman90Jul 20, 2025
Archive.ph is always a great choice for this kind of bs. I was able to pull the the article before they decided to remove it. archive.ph/x5cGQ
Show threadshani66Jul 20, 2025
It seems like they are genuinely just anti-video game, which is insane. At first i thought they were pro-SA since they try to censor negative depictions of it, but then they also target GTA with blatant lies. Maybe the puritans aren’t as dead as they should be and some of them still hate the idea that someone could be having fun.
Show threadAatubeJul 20, 2025
The author posted three articles involving Collective Shout. The only one that didn't get removed replaces most of the detailing on Collective Shout with narration of the now-endangered benefits of "we both roleplay as giant women who consume our viewers".
Show threadPastafARRianJul 21, 2025
Because VICE went bankrupt. Surprised their website is running at all.
Show threadpassepartoutJul 20, 2025

From Wikipedia about NCOSE

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), previously known as Morality in Media and Operation Yorkville, is an American conservative anti-pornography organization. The group has also campaigned against sex trafficking, same-sex marriage, sex shops and sex toys, decriminalization of sex work, comprehensive sex education, and various works of literature or visual arts the organization has deemed obscene, profane or indecent. […] The organization describes its goal as “exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation”.

Doing the lords work by fucking up (lol) any discourse about sexuality.

National Center on Sexual Exploitation - Wikipedia

Show threadproleJul 20, 2025
Because fucking of course they’re fascists. Of course.
Show threadLushed_LungfishJul 20, 2025
I can agree with exactly ONE thing on that list which is worth campaigning against and that’s sex trafficking. However, given that this lot voted in a fucking pedo rapist as the supreme leader of their country, I doubt their conviction.
Show threadpassepartoutJul 20, 2025
Reminds me of enforcing the identification of all internet users for the sake of “protecting the children”.
Show threadSaledovilJul 21, 2025
Which actual criminals can circumvent, and takes away anonymity from children, which is by far the best protection for them. So yeah, if you want to protect children, this is a serious step back.
Show threadyermawJul 21, 2025
You can still identify children online. A/S/L never fails
Show threadSaledovilJul 21, 2025

Reminds me of the Omegle zombie survival game:

  • You have six shotgun shells.
  • Connect to a random person.
  • If they ask “ASL”, they’re a Zombie. If you have a shotgun shell left, you shoot them and use up one shell. If not, they bite you and you die.
  • Ask “What is OP?”. If they give the correct answer, they’re a fellow survivor, and both of you refill your shotgun shells.
    • Show threadMirsheJul 20, 2025
    Generally, the “sec trafficking” these types of groups campaign against is the non-existent QAnon variant, where those people are somehow trafficking millions and millions of (white suburban) kids into sex slavery in those countries for more of *those people".
    Show threadatomicbocksJul 20, 2025

    comprehensive sex education

    Ah yes, because if there is anything that will prevent exploitation it’s not being educated about sex.

    Show threadx00zJul 21, 2025
    It’s extremely weird to see “decriminalization of sex work” in there though. Because that’s extremely progressive. (And positive in my eyes.)
    Show thread9bananasJul 21, 2025

    “campaigning AGAINST”

    they’re against that…

    Show threadx00zJul 21, 2025
    Oh I see thanks.
    Show threadHearTwoTalkJul 21, 2025
    They’re against decriminalizing it
    Show threadSaledovilJul 21, 2025
    A thing about how the group’s goals are contradictory: Sex education is probably the best tool to protect children from sexual exploitation. So stopping sex ed aids child molesters, by making it easier to manipulate children.
    Show threadflamingos-cant (hopepunk arc)Jul 20, 2025
    Why is there an Animal Crossing video attached to this? Also, what happened to the original article, did they delete it?
    Show threadmiskJul 20, 2025
    Cease and desist from said group?
    Show threadproleJul 20, 2025

    Is Detroit: Become Human on the list of removed titles (that’s where the screenshot is from).

    The game does deal with themes like child and spousal abuse, and has a part with a same sex couple, so it fits these fascists’ MO.

    If so, ridiculous. However, I kind of hope they do go after some bigger games so people get pissed.

    Show threadmormundJul 20, 2025
    I hope they fucked with wrong company. Watch Valve become the best payment processor simply out of spite. Although there is no solution for reactionaries everywhere targeting porn and sex work.
    Show threadPikaJul 20, 2025

    Honestly valve mishandled this issue. This sounded like a solid opportunity to be like “Okay, AO and NSFW games are no longer able to be sold via third party merchants” and then disabled the ability on the payment page.

    Like they already offer an ability to pay directly, just require funding to be from steam wallet, then the transaction records are only “add funds” or “wallet payment” or whatever they use for steam wallet funding. Or if it is just paypal, make it so it has to be a first(wallet) or a second(credit cards) party instead of a third party(paypal)

    Show threadCethinJul 21, 2025
    I assume the payment processors demanded these games not be on the marketplace at all, not just that they didn’t handle the payments for them.
    Show threadPikaJul 21, 2025

    I was under the understanding that they cared only about their image and the fact that their service was being used to purchase those items. If that’s the case, then they shouldn’t have an Issue with it existing in the first place, just that people can associate their platform with those type of games. If Steam went out of their way to make it so you can’t use third party(or even second party tbh) merchants with adult-only and NSFW style games, then consumers wouldn’t be able to relate their service to those type of games.

    If what you said is correct there, that’s a massive overstep on the payment processors, but I don’t think that’s the case here.

    For example, when visa stopped accepting advertisements on Pornhub, it was because it wasn’t able to control whether or not it was being depicted next to CP, which is against its rules. They entire quote was as follows: "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.”

    If this is the same case, just disabling the payment processor’s ability should more than suffice.

    Having said my main concern about all this is, currently steam is rolling over, but as people have said previously, steam is a large company. They could just decide full stop that you can only pay for video games with a steam wallet, which will make it so you have to add the funds to your wallet ahead of time. This also will remove quite a bit of protections that consumers have when using a credit card because at that point the service is Steam providing you money for your wallet instead of Steam providing you a functional game which means that any type of argument consumers would do with chargebacks of like this game isn’t functioning on my system would be immediately thrown out because steam only charged you to add funds to your wallet instead of buying a game like it currently is.

    Show threadCethinJul 21, 2025
    How are you putting money on your account without the payment processors? Every purchase is through them, directly or indirectly.
    Show threadPikaJul 21, 2025

    a few ways to be honest.

    They already have steam wallet cards at most electronic retail stores which operate the same as gift cards

    but I was thinking more along the line of the payment processor is still there, but the goods being purchased is no longer the game itself, just adding currency on, which more-or-less removes the problem all together. Payment processors are no longer being used to buy NSFW content, its being used to purchase wallet funds. So the association is no longer valid.

    Alternatively they could go the Mullvad approach as well, and allow for cash, check and wire transfer over if they really wanted to. Heck honestly like what PC said, with how big they are, they could even make a low transaction fee(seller side) savings card and could probably rival the companies themselves. I know a few people that would happily switch to said card if it meant ease of access buying games.

    Additionally, a mix of these could be done, at some point card companies would fold because its threatening their bottom line. I personally think if they went the steam wallet route, the companies wouldn’t want to engage big stores such as walmart, as a good portion of their revenue is via the transaction fees those companies provide.

    this is all hypotheticals though

    Show threadCethinJul 22, 2025

    Payment processors are no longer being used to buy NSFW content, its being used to purchase wallet funds. So the association is no longer valid.

    You can make that argument, sure. You could also make the other argument, that their services are being associated with this content by proxy, at minimum.

    I don’t agree with them. I’m just pointing out what their argument is.

    I also agree Valve should make an alternative. They’ve got the resources and the reach to do it. They could probably even get other companies to use it and take a percentage of each transaction for another revenue stream. As it is, they’re losing a percentage to these companies, and now they’re fucking with their business too. They should be doing everything they can to get away from them.

    Show threadburgerpocalyseJul 20, 2025
    they already removed a bunch of games
    Show threadMisterOwlJul 20, 2025
    Is there no aspect of life that isn’t being completely shit upon and ruined by conservatives?
    Show threadmindbleachJul 20, 2025
    Let’s not give them ideas.
    Show threadshani66Jul 20, 2025
    No. They are anti-human, straight up.
    Show threadlmmarsanoJul 22, 2025

    anti-human

    Don’t insult anti-humans. Conservatives are anti-fun.

    Show threadduchessJul 20, 2025
    Uh holiday dishes?
    Show threadBaggieJul 21, 2025
    You mean Christmas dishes you woke commie /s
    Show threadduchessJul 21, 2025
    I say Christmas dish even if its Easter
    Show threadmindbleachJul 20, 2025
    This far into the 21st century, paying people for art should have no barriers.
    Show threadMentalEdgeJul 20, 2025

    HuniePop is a comedic masterpiece I will actually be upset about if it’s disappeared.

    This group is nuts. Wanting to ban Detroit Become Human because it depicts child abuse is completely insane. That’s like solving sex trafficking by making it illegal to mention it.

    Show threadlathJul 20, 2025
    Doubt they want to solve it. More like make it out of sight, out of mind.
    Show threadMirsheJul 20, 2025
    This is exactly their goal. They don’t wanna solve it. They don’t want to make things better. They just want it to not be talked about or discussed or thought about. It’s the same as your landlord painting over a patch of black mold.
    Show threadazertyfunJul 20, 2025

    I mean, their leader is literally under fire for saying the Epstein files never existed and people should just stop talking about it. Making it illegal to even mention sex trafficking is the next logical step to protect the Dear Leader, because lord knows tackling the real issues wouldn’t end well for him.

    It’s actually a more ideologically consistent position than most reactionary groups. They want to be able to keep diddling kids while everyone shuts up about it and the queers get shoved in concentration camps. Now that’s a Good Traditional Christian Nation babyyyyyy

    Show threadmuusemuuseJul 20, 2025
    Where is this stage in the “first they came for” poem?
    Show threadrootJul 20, 2025
    What’s next? Are they going to try to remove The Last of Us ? :/
    Show threadblobchoiceJul 21, 2025

    To be honest, when this story first appeared especially with Valve being the ones to announce the censorship, I thought it was sort of a nothing burger with Valve (Gave Newell having libertarian values) being pissed that someone has control over what they can sell on their store or not.

    I also personally believe in the past 5-10 years that there is so much adult content and so much gateways to adult content in non adult content spaces that I personally feel something needs to be done about it.

    But after seeing the group behind it, it’s basically the opposite extreme. We should be able to talk about sex and sexuality, and have media that dives into these topics without some of the extreme fetishism that is on the internet (e.g. cuckoldry, gooning).

    While I feel conflicted about these games being on an extremely popular pc gaming store, the people who are trying to get it removed aren’t helping - they are the problem by being so extreme in their views of sex and sexuality themselves.