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Karl Schembri
Malta, the country which insisted on inserting Christ in the EU constitution and which will be featuring his baptism on its euro coins, is the European base for a giant porn billing company whose portfolio extends from the hardcore to extreme fetish internet pay sites.
With clients who would make St Paul cringe to death – ranging from straight porn queens pictured in XXX action, to oily shemales in orgies on film – the American company CCBill registered in Valletta is planning to expand its operations here after it registered its office for European and African operations.
Asked for his moral stand on the company’s dealings with porn websites given his strong and publicly declared conservative views, Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg declined to comment but instead asked the police to investigate CCBill.
“Notwithstanding the fact that company registration does not fall under the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs’ portfolio, your email has been forwarded to the Police for investigation to whether there is any breach of Maltese Laws,” he said in an email reply to MaltaToday, even though no illegality was suggested by this newspaper.
The company works as a middleman between thousands of professional porn sites and the banks by processing credit card transactions for access to the websites in what is the biggest industry on the internet together with online gambling – another core business of CCBill’s.
The business was registered in Malta in 2002, just a year before joining the EU, when in Fenech Adami’s vision the island would take Christian values back to Europe.
Instead, CCBill set up its Malta base called CCBill EU Ltd, registered by the office of Sapiano and Associates. CCBill’s Europe address is in fact listed as Valletta Buildings in South Street, Valletta.
Lawyer Georg Sapiano said CCBill employs IT specialists in Malta to maintain a diverse portfolio of clientele that includes non-profit organisations, charities, broadcasters, business and government organisations, and mainstream and adult entertainment media providers.
“Client engagement rules of the firm require us to examine whether the activities of a client are legal,” Sapiano told MaltaToday. “We do not examine the business profile of their own clients or suppliers unless there is evidence to suggest that these are in violation of the law. The firm is satisfied that the activities of CCBill EU are legal.”
The company is now planning to employ around 50 software specialists in Malta following its expansion into Eastern Europe in the wake of VISA International’s entry into the EU region to include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
A notice on the company’s website announces that it will now “accept new CCBill Account signups for businesses based within these countries through our EU Processor, CCBill EU, with a simple online registration and without any initial setup fees to get started”.
Among its clients, CCBill handles sites that include Soundpunishment.com, GothicSluts.com, Threepillows.com, Achtungfetish.com, Asian-Boy-Models.com, and WomenofWrestling.net.
In 2002, the CEO and founder of the company, Ron Cadwell, had informed its clients that it was stopping its services for bestiality sites after VISA pulled out of the bizarre sex industry.
“Although we regret having to, CCBill must, as a result of Visa’s decision and other potential legal problems associated with processing billing for bestiality sites, cancel our agreement to provide service to you,” Cadwell wrote.
The company’s credit database was hacked in 2001 with passwords of its clients leaked, but the damage on its reputation and business seems to have been minimal giving its rapid worldwide expansion.
Nowhere on its website does the company advertise its heavy servicing to porn sites. Founded in 1998 by Cadwell to provide “reliable, user-friendly subscription management for online businesses,” the company has steadily established itself as a leader in E-ticketing and access management.
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
Link: http://businesscenter.ccbilleu.com/contact.php
www.theregister.co.uk/2001/12/28/porno_paymaster_ccbill_hacked_hard |
