Kickstarter just killed its new mature content rules

Last week, we noted Kickstarter’s new content guidelines which had some pretty weird new additions, including a prohibition on “sexual wellness products that are not designed for insertion or penetration and are not marketed primarily for sexual gratification.” Those rules have now been eliminated and the company has restored an earlier version of its guidelines. In an apology letter issued today from COO Sean Leow, Kickstarter confirmed that the new rules were influenced by the payment processor Stripe: The updates to the rules were primarily driven by requirements from our payments processor, Stripe. Stripe operates under its own legal and compliance requirements separate from Kickstarter’s own rules. And even Stripe’s rules are dictated by a larger system shaped by financial institutions that govern how money moves globally. Kickstarter says that it’s seen “a growing number of campaigns” that it approved but then got “suspended by Strike mid-funding.” The company also says it’s “advocated for those creators directly with Stripe,” because “we believe in the work and because creators deserve to see their campaigns through.” After the new rules were issued a week ago, we immediately asked Kickstarter for comment, followed up to get an answer, and didn’t hear back until today — when the company pointed us toward its public post. …