Instagram reinstates Pornhub's account only to shut it down again, calls ban reversal a 'mistake'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA : For a brief while on Sunday, Pornhub's Instagram account was once again accessible, although Meta claims it was a mistake. With 12.9 million followers, the Pornhub Instagram account seemed to have been reactivated on Sunday, February 19. This was a "mistake," a Meta spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Meta cited the account's numerous violations of the company's community guidelines, particularly its prohibition on sexual solicitation, over the span of more than 10 years, as the reason for Instagram's September 2022 permanent ban on Pornhub's account. Instagram disabled a second account Pornhub created to try to get around the suspension of its main account a month later.
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'Repeatedly violating our policies'
In an interview with Variety, a Meta spokesperson told the media that the reactivation happened by mistake. “As we’ve said previously, we permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies,” he said. The dispute over Pornhub's Instagram account serves as an example of a bigger problem affecting creators including pole dancers, sex educators, and adult film models.
Many users have discovered that their accounts are frequently deactivated or suspended even though their posts do not go against the content restrictions. Porn stars may not be able to post their NSFW material on Instagram, but they can still interact with their fans thanks to their sizable fan bases.
Pornhub's statement
A representative for Pornhub said, “Within hours of reinstating our Instagram account, Meta has demonstrated that its policies have no rhyme or reason when they deactivated our account again, despite not violating any guidelines. This comes at a time of increased censorship and discrimination against performers in the adult space, when platforms like Instagram should be inclusive and provide safe communities for creators to express themselves. Instead, Meta and Instagram’s haphazard and irrational enforcement of their policies place undue hardships on the livelihoods of those in the adult industry, an already marginalized group. We call on Meta to once again reverse its decision.”
In light of all of the above, Netflix is coming up with a docuseries called 'Money Shot: The Pornhub Story', exploring the controversies faced by the infamous porn website.