South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has called on major payment platforms, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Google, and Apple, to take action against the use of their services for funding AI-generated pornography. In a letter sent last week, Wilson and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general demanded information from these companies about how they are addressing the issue of “deepfake” pornography—computer-generated sexual images created without consent.
The letter notes that most online deepfakes are pornographic in nature and primarily target women and young girls. Sellers of these materials are reportedly using prominent financial platforms to advertise payments while the payment companies do not intervene.
“Every time Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, or Apple Pay approves one of these transactions, they’re not just moving money, they’re fueling abuse,” said Attorney General Wilson. “These companies know exactly what’s happening, yet they refuse to police this outrageous conduct. Let me be clear: since they only seem to act when their profits or legal liability are threatened, if Big Tech and Big Finance won’t do it voluntarily, we’ll force their hand. I am prepared to hit them where it hurts, because protecting women and children is not optional, and South Carolina will not tolerate complicity in their exploitation.”
The coalition is asking these companies to disclose current measures aimed at blocking payments for deepfake pornography and to commit to stronger safeguards. Wilson stated that cutting off financial support is an effective way to combat exploitation.
Earlier this week, Wilson joined 44 other state attorneys general in urging Meta to address AI-driven predatory interactions with children on Instagram. He has been active in efforts holding technology firms accountable for failing to prevent abuse.
“Big Tech and Big Finance love to lecture the rest of us about responsibility, but when it comes to protecting kids and women, they look the other way,” Wilson said. “Enough is enough. If these companies won’t do the right thing on their own, the states will force them to. We’re not asking, we’re demanding action.”
A copy of the full letter can be found online.
