The New York-based firm is reportedly being forced by left-leaning liberal activists to set up an internal "human rights committee" that would monitor payments to "white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists."
"The problem is that everyone has their own views and, in a free society, the idea of a free society is that you are free to have your belief systems, as long as you're not harming anyone else physically," Swann told RT America. "But your belief system belongs to you and you have the right be wrong. White supremacists have the right to be wrong."
MasterCard is not the only holder of purse-strings that is mulling the selective banning of individuals from their services and funds. Patreon and PayPal have previously barred individuals from receiving payments using their platforms, due to their extreme views.
Comment: The U.S. is stumbling blindly into an authoritarian nightmare, and it has been doing so for years. This latest development - the ability for payment processors and credit cards to blacklist individuals because of their beliefs (whether they actually hold those beliefs or not - perception is all that matters) - has come about without any major backlash or protest. The victims are 'bad people', so few will defend them. And those speaking out are in a tiny minority, with no impact on the major option-makers in the media and government. It's a dangerous path to be on, but only the latest in a string of such bad decisions. See also: