1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the growing trend of technological censorship, particularly as it relates to legal and legitimate adult content. Increasingly, financial institutions like Mastercard and Visa are acting as de facto regulators, using their merchant and user policies to restrict access to legal content and suppress creators' livelihoods. These companies are not elected bodies, yet they are effectively shaping online content policy by deciding what kinds of transactions are permitted. This undermines the role of Congress and allows powerful private entities to bypass the legislative process. I believe this is a direct threat to free expression and the First Amendment, especially when it targets communities that are already marginalized, such as LGBTQ creators, sex workers, and artists who rely on digital platforms to survive. I have seen firsthand how platforms and creators are forced to self-censor or remove content out of fear that financial access will be revoked. These are not illegal materials; they are fully lawful forms of expression, art, and livelihood that deserve the same financial access protections as any other. I urge you to take a stand against this impermissible censorship and support policies that prevent financial gatekeepers from regulating speech or art based on subjective morality or political pressure. In particular, I ask that you support the Federal Trade Commission's efforts to investigate and challenge this kind of financial censorship, and consider legislation like H.R. 987, the Fair Access to Banking Act, as one path to restoring fairness and preventing private-sector overreach. Thank you for your time and your commitment to protecting constitutional rights and democratic oversight. I appreciate your attention to this issue.