Banks pledge crackdown on porn

BANK of Ireland and AIB last night pledged to close the account of any company selling illegal pornography using a credit card account supplied by them.

Bank of Ireland confirmed it had already closed down the accounts of at least four merchants trading in pornography after complaints from customers.

The move comes after the National Women’s Council of Ireland said customers could stop credit card companies supporting the porn industry by threatening to close their accounts.

Their call came in the wake of a plea from Professor Max Taylor, a leading figure in the fight against child porn, calling for global pressure to force credit card companies to stop aiding the porn industry.

Prof Taylor, director of Combating Paedophile Information Networks in Europe, insisted credit card companies stop doing business with the sellers of pornography.

AIB’s Credit Card Centre said it had a clear policy in relation to applications from merchants involved in trading in pornography.

“We do not accept business from these companies. This is in line with our code of business ethics, which states that AIB will not support businesses where we have reason to believe the customer is acting illegally,” the company said.

Bank of Ireland’s head of card marketing Eddie Ryan said they will shutdown accounts where they are being used to sell illegal pornography.

A spokesperson for the Irish Payment Services Organisation, which processing credit card payments for Irish financial institutions, said: “Our members actively co-operate with law enforcement agencies in relation to criminal activity on an on-going basis.”