How Payment Processors Are Quietly Controlling the Adult Industry — And What Creators Can Do About It

"How Payment Processors Are Quietly Controlling the Adult Industry — And What Creators Can Do About It". Written by Sophia Truee.

The Quiet Power of Payment Processors

In the digital age, payment processors have emerged as powerful gatekeepers — particularly in the adult industry. While platforms like iWantClips give creators a space to monetise their art and content, the reality is that financial institutions behind the scenes, like Mastercard and Visa, often call the shots.

On May 28, 2025, iWantClips notified its creators of significant changes to its category structure due to new restrictions imposed by its payment processor. Categories like “Wrestling,” “ABDL,” and “AI Content” are being removed or renamed to comply with guidelines — not platform rules, but those dictated by financial middlemen. This situation offers a sobering look at the hidden influence payment processors wield over adult creators, and why this should concern everyone.

What iWantClips' Latest Email Really Means

iWantClips recently informed its Artists of the following changes:

• Immediate removal of categories: Female Wrestling, Gay Wrestling, Pantyhose Wrestling, Wrestling, and ABDL. All associated keywords and content are also affected.

• AI-generated content must be moved to the Digital Fantasy category and may only remain active if it features the verified likeness of the store owner. Each piece of AI content will be reviewed individually.

• The Mesmerize category has been renamed to Captivate, a decision made by the platform itself.

  
  

These aren’t just cosmetic tweaks — they’re significant content restrictions that force creators to alter their artistic expression and income strategies.

Payment Processor Censorship in the Adult Industry

The adult industry is no stranger to regulation and stigma. But in recent years, payment processor censorship has emerged as a subtler, more insidious threat. Companies like Mastercard, Visa, and their underlying bank networks often issue sweeping mandates, particularly regarding “high-risk” content. These decisions typically happen behind closed doors, without public accountability or stakeholder input from the communities affected.

Why does this matter?

Because creators, especially in marginalised niches, are being de-platformed not for violating laws — but for not aligning with the arbitrary “brand safety” standards of multinational financial institutions. “Brand safety” has increasingly become a sanitized euphemism, used as a cover to impose restrictions that often reflect the personal moral standards of executives and corporate stakeholders — not the legal status or ethical reality of the content itself.

The Impact on Creators and Communities

When payment processors pull the plug on certain content, it doesn't just affect a few categories. It can:

• Erase niche communities that rely on adult platforms to connect and share their identity safely.

• Cause economic harm by removing popular, income-generating content without warning.

• Force platforms into a compliance scramble, leading to rushed, poorly communicated policy shifts (as seen with iWantClips).

• Undermine consent and self-expression, especially in fantasy-based and non-nude content categories.

  
  

For example, ABDL (Adult Baby/Diaper Lover) content — which is legal, consensual, and heavily moderated — is routinely banned due to misinformed fears and optics.

What Can Creators and Supporters Do?

1. Diversify Payment Options

Explore alternative payment processors that explicitly support adult content. This page offers resources on which payment processors are sex worker friendly: https://sexworkerhelpfuls.com/payment-options.

By speaking up about this issue, we can encourage platforms to adopt more inclusive payment gateways that prioritise creator autonomy.

2. Use Direct Support Tools

Encourage fans to use platforms like:

• FanCentro

• LoyalFans

• ManyVids

• Crypto wallets (for censorship-resistant payments)

These channels allow creators to maintain financial independence.

3. Organize and Advocate

Join or support adult industry advocacy groups working to protect sex workers' rights and freedom of expression:

• 🛡️ Free Speech Coalition (FSC) – National trade association for the adult industry.

• ✊ Adult Performance Artists Guild (APAG) – Performer-led labor union.

• ⚖️ Woodhull Freedom Foundation – Defending sexual freedom as a fundamental human right.

• ❤️ SWOP USA – Grassroots network advocating for sex worker rights.

• 🌍 Red Umbrella Fund – International fund supporting sex worker-led organizations.

• 🔐 Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – Digital rights group advocating for online freedom, including adult spaces.

4. Educate Fans

Many customers are unaware of the restrictions creators face. Use social media and blog posts to:

• Explain how platform policies are often dictated by payment processors

• Share the risks of demonetization

• Encourage more direct support methods

  
  

Conclusion: We Deserve Better

Payment processors shouldn’t be the silent regulators of legal, consensual adult content. The recent iWantClips update is another wake-up call: creators and their communities must stay informed, connected, and proactive. The only way to protect artistic freedom, financial sovereignty, and sexual expression online is to challenge the financial chokeholds that threaten them.

FAQs

1. Why are payment processors banning adult content categories?

To reduce perceived brand risk or avoid legal ambiguity, even when the content is legal.

2. Are there adult-friendly payment processors?

Yes. Please take a look here: https://sexworkerhelpfuls.com/payment-options

3. What does the AI content restriction mean for creators?

Only AI content that features the store owner’s verified likeness will remain — everything else is subject to removal.

4. Can fans help fight back?

Absolutely. Fans can support creators via direct payment methods and amplify educational content.

5. Is this censorship legal?

Technically yes, because private companies set their own policies. But it raises ethical concerns around control and free expression.