Google is in talks with Visa, MasterCard and PayPal about cutting off funding to illegal downloading Web Sites, according to the Telegraph.
The search giant is under pressure from the entertainment industry to tackle sites which facilitate the sharing of links to pirated content such as films, music and books.
It is now in talks with several payments firms about cutting off funding routes to the sites as an alternative to the complex process of altering its own search results to obstruct access, says the Telegraph.
A MasterCard spokesman told the paper: "MasterCard takes online safety and security seriously. We work closely with our partners to ensure the best possible experience when using electronic payments."
Visa, MasterCard and PayPal have all proved themselves willing to act against sites which upset powerful allies in the past, notoriously refusing to process payments for whistleblowing outfit Wikileaks.