Online sex work is often cited as a way to liberate sex workers by giving sex workers more control. But does the movement to digital spaces and the formal financial sector simply trade of one form...Show moreOnline sex work is often cited as a way to liberate sex workers by giving sex workers more control. But does the movement to digital spaces and the formal financial sector simply trade of one form of dependency and vulnerability for another? This paper seeks to understand the specific mechanisms employed by financial actors to target sex work and the relationship between state and private actors in the development of exclusionary policies. Furthermore, in light of the global dominance of the American financial sector, this paper examines the transboundary influence of US corporate financial regulation through its impact on sex workers outside the United States. The influence of government pressure on the corporate policies is examined through the policies of three financial service providers (Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal) in the context of two state policy changes: the Obama Administration’s Operation Choke Point and the 2018 FOSTA/SESTA law. The international influence of these policies is explored through the experiences of Pornhub performers operating outside of the United States following the 2019/2020 suspension of services to the platform by PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard. This paper identifies two mechanisms employed by financial service providers which result in the exclusion of online sex workers: 1) direct prohibition of adult-related industries and 2) indirect exclusion through the incentive structure created to by financial service providers to monitor and regulate merchants which disincentivizes businesses to work with merchants involved in adult-related industries. This paper also finds that the dominance enjoyed by the US in the global financial system and its subsequent influence in foreign markets creates a system through which the problematic and exclusionary policies of US-based corporations are exported to countries regardless of their own legal frameworks governing sex work.Show less
