BENGALURU — Mastercard and Visa on Thursday (Dec 10) stopped processing payments on Pornhub after a New York Times report last week that many videos posted on the adult website depicted sexual assault of children.

Mastercard said it was permanently ending the use of its cards on the sex videos site after its investigation confirmed the presence of illegal content on the platform. Visa said it was suspending payments till an investigation was completed.

Pornhub called the actions as "disappointing", saying it came after the site implemented safeguards such as a ban on video downloads, as well as permitting only certain partner accounts to upload content.

The New York Times article had also described some videos on the site as recordings of assaults on unconscious women and girls.

Pornhub has denied the allegations.

"This news is crushing for the hundreds of thousands of models who rely on our platform for their livelihoods," Pornhub said on Thursday. REUTERS