The United States government called them criminal. My guess is Visa took the easy road on this.
> called them
That's exactly right - there was no trial or conviction. Just the word of the administration was enough for Visa and other payment providers.
It turns credit card companies into the extra-legal enforcers of the government, bypassing various laws, courts, and any reasonable appeals process.
People should boycott Visa, Mastercard and Paypal over this.
Good luck boycotting the credit card companies, if you want to participate meaningfully in the modern economy.
That's why a better alternative is necessary. I personally think the Dutch iDeal is pretty much perfect for online payments, with none of the many problems attached to credit cards. But most of the internet seems too invested in keeping credit cards alive.