An expose on the practice of financial censorship-when banks and payment intermediaries shut down accounts or block transactions
How companies like Visa, Chase, Paypal, Bank of America, and Mastercard use it as a tool to pressure dissenting marginalized voices into silence
Civil liberties activist Rainey Reitman introduces readers to the concept of "financial censorship"-a form of privatized censorship where banks and payment intermediaries act as censors in ways the government couldn't do directly without violating the First Amendment.
Reitman examines financial companies, like Visa, Chase, and PayPal and the role they have played in policing speech as well as the laws and corporate policies that have enabled this form of censorship.
Weaving together over a decade of research with interviews and narratives from those personally impacted by financial censorship, Reitman reveals how financial exclusion has become a tool to pressure marginalized voices into silence. From the executive director of a voting rights nonprofit to a teacher of Iranian poetry, to adult content creators, and the cannabis community, Reitman uplifts the stories of those who have been targeted by these powerful institutions.
Insightful and fresh, Transaction Denied exposes this new and growing form of censorship and offers a path forward by advocating for communities affected by financial exclusion and calling for more transparency of our financial systems. Rainey Reitman is a writer and civil liberties activist working on the front lines of some of our generation's most crucial Internet rights battles. She has led viral campaigns; appeared frequently in radio, print, and television;given speeches around the world on civil liberties, and written on the intersection of technology and human rights. Reitman co-founded and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit defending journalism.
