A recent Vice investigation has uncovered that groups lobbying for stricter censorship on Steam aren’t exactly who they claim to be. The investigation found that an advocacy group, Collective Shout, presented itself as feminist and anti-exploitation, but was actually backed by powerful conservative Christian organizations.
These groups successfully pressured major payment processors like Visa and Mastercard to take action against Steam, threatening the platform’s ability to process payments unless certain games were removed or restricted. Steam, facing potential financial disruption, complied by delisting several titles with adult or controversial themes.
The tactics employed were particularly deceptive. The groups used “sockpuppeting”—presenting themselves as grassroots feminist voices or survivor advocates while concealing their true conservative religious backing. They targeted games by making exaggerated or misleading claims about content, regardless of context or actual game material.
This strategy is similar to what they’ve done on other online platforms. Previously, these same tactics have been used against content creators on Patreon, OnlyFans, and various websites featuring adult content, often under the excuse of child protection or anti-trafficking efforts.
VICE’s owner, Savage Ventures, has since then requested the removal of multiple articles about Collective Shout due to concerns about their controversial subject matter—not due to factual or journalistic issues. Writer Ana Velens, who authored the investigation, announced he will no longer contribute to Waypoint.
