NEW YORK — Led by Pornhub, a group of adult content creators, companies, organizations and sex workers have co-signed an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and other Meta staffers, condemning what the signers label as Instagram’s discriminatory moderation practices.
Here is full transcript:
Dear Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Nick Clegg, Jennifer Newstead —
We, the undersigned, represent those in the adult industry that have for years been undermined by Instagram’s opaque, discriminatory and hypocritical enforcement of its own Terms and Policies.
Sex workers and performers have been unfairly targeted in the form of bans, shadow bans, suspensions, loss of Live privileges and content removal, despite taking extra care not to violate Instagram’s Community Guidelines. Three weeks ago, Pornhub’s official verified account was disabled with no reasonable justification.
We demand an explanation and guidance as to why our accounts are continuously deleted, and why content we spend money creating in order to engage with our audience is removed, even when we do not breach any of Instagram’s rules. The livelihoods of independent creators are harmed by Instagram’s reckless and discriminatory behavior. The platform, despite its careless treatment of an already marginalized group, is a vital marketing tool for those in the adult industry. Denying us an ability to promote our brands and grow our businesses while continuously erasing, silencing, and censoring the presence of sex workers and adult brands is violent and profoundly damaging. Combined with the regular financial discrimination those in the adult industry face, it is dangerous and threatening to our livelihoods.
We demand fair treatment on Instagram for adult performers, sex workers, and any compliant adult business, including Pornhub. While mainstream brands and celebrity accounts frequently feature nudity and overt sexuality with no repercussions, our fully PG accounts are regularly banned without adequate explanation. Pornhub’s safe-for-work account has been disabled for two weeks. In the interim, Kim Kardashian has posted her fully exposed ass to her 330 million followers without any restrictive action from Instagram. We are happy to see that Kim and the artistic team behind the image are free to share their work on the platform, but question why we are denied the same treatment. While Kim’s photo continues accumulating likes and making headlines, members of the adult community run the risk of deplatforming if Instagram decides our pants look a bit too tight to meet its arbitrary and selectively-enforced “standards.”
We demand that Instagram immediately end all discrimination toward those involved in the adult industry. This means providing full transparency and clear explanations for any suspended or banned accounts, ending shadow banning practices, and immediately reinstating all accounts, including Pornhub, that have not violated any of Instagram’s Terms and Policies.
Respectfully,
Pornhub and other signatories.
Signatories include the Free Speech Coalition, APAG, Riley Reid, Adriana Chechik, Ricky Johnson, Johnny Sins, Abella Danger, Violet Myers, Britney Amber, Lucy Hart, Joanna Angel, Aubrey Kate, Casey Calvert, Holly Randall, Keiran Lee, Wolf Hudson, Kira Noir, Natassia Dreams, Asa Akira, Dante Colle, Cherie DeVille, Abigail Mac, Alana Evans and many others.
Meta Replies Through the New York Post
Pornhub, which recently saw its Instagram account disabled, made the letter available to the New York Post. The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid, which consistently platforms the views of War on Porn crusaders, obtained a reply from Meta reps.
A Meta spokesperson told the Post “that Pornhub had repeatedly violated the app’s rule against ‘sexual solicitation.'”
The spokesperson added that Meta’s definition of “sexual solicitation” includes “encouraging users to leave Instagram and visit a porn site,” implying that the very name of Pornhub’s account might be considered such an invitation and grounds for removal.
Instagram declined to tell the Post “exactly how many violations Pornhub had racked up but said it had warned the site multiple times over the past decade that it had violated community guidelines.”
“We’ve permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies,” the Meta rep told the paper, adding that Pornhub’s ban “is permanent.”
Professional anti-porn crusaders like religiously-inspired lobby NCOSE — formerly Morality in Media — celebrated Pornhub’s deplatforming, taking credit for the removal and permanent ban of the site’s account.
Meta did not respond to specific complaints in the letter, such as why “Kim Kardashian has posted her fully exposed ass to her 330 million followers without any restrictive action from Instagram,” while sex workers continue to be penalized for similar content.
