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Comment by trallnag | Hacker News Reader

>payment processors as paid content censor system is absurd

So you don't like it when payment processors blacklist sexual content. What about racist content? Are you fine with someone selling a game mod that for example replaces all people of color in a game with people of European ancestry using something like Stripe?

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Yes? Why would that be Stripe's business? Should Stripe also restrict you from renting R-rated movies or buying condoms?

It actually shocks me that anyone thinks that's supposed to be an obvious case for rejection of the concept, we've had similar for free for the longest time.

What are you talking about? Free what? Adult content? Racist mods?

All of the above, and more.

Being able to sell such stuff incentives higher quality, doesn't it? It takes a serious amount of work to dig through all of Baldurs Gate, for example.

I think we're going to have to accept that "payment companies should not be global game censors" means that they shouldn't be global game censors.

If I offer to sell you a copy of Mein Kampf, should the dollar you try to hand me spawn a force field and prevent you from handing it to me?

That's kinda how it works in Germany and many other European countries. Thinking of RAC bands like Landser. Mein Kampf is now legal as long as it comes with a commentary. The game mod I've mentioned, not sure if it would go through. Depends on the details, I guess

If it is illegal, there are laws to handle the situation. Otherwise they should focus on enabling financial transactions.

My example includes none of that. It's clear this duopoly system doesn't work as far as content filtering. Nothing about being a payment processor makes them good at evaluating companies, the individual bits of content they provide, and being a gatekeeper.

I agree, I was just wondering.

Yes

If itch wants to become the store that overflows with racism they can go advertise on Rumble and become irrelevant.

But they wouldn't do that, they would moderate the content on their own site.

I trust itchio to decide for themselves what kinds of content they want to host - I don’t like seeing Stripe/Paypal try to blackmail them into censorship.

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