Pornhub Runs to Twitter to Kvetch About Being Banned by META’s Instagram, Says Kardashians Get Away with More

Instagram has permanently banned Pornhub’s account. “We’ve permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The account has been temporarily disabled in the past but this time appears to be different, something Pornhub isn’t too happy about.

Pornhub has taken issue with the ban and crafted an open letter to Instagram and Meta. They shared the letter to Twitter where they are still welcomed with open arms.

The letter calls sex workers marginalized and complains that a picture of Kim Kardashian’s behind has been allowed to stay on Instagram and garner headlines and likes, while Pornhub’s account has been down for three weeks.

Pornhub’s letter also claims that the only content they provided on Instagram was safe for work and met all of Instagram’s guidelines.

Pornhub is accepted on Twitter and much of the content on Twitter is 18+. A new report shows that Twitter is losing advertisers because of its inability to flag and remove child pornography from the site. Advertisers do not want their names next to anything to do with child pornography.

There is a lot of money in the adult industry and it appears many “creators” are offended they aren’t permitted on some major platforms, where users are 13 and up.

The letter reads in full:

“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, shadowbans, suspensions, loss of life privileges and content removal, despite taking extra care not to violate Instagram’s Community Guidelines. Three weeks ago, Pornhubs’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 continually 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 explanation. Pornhub’s safe for work account has been disabled for three weeks. In the interim, Kim Kardashian has posted her fully exposed ass to 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 decided 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 Polices.”

To @Meta and @instagram pic.twitter.com/NNMgvl2YmS

— Pornhub (@Pornhub) September 27, 2022