On September 3rd, after 10 years of account violations and suspensions, Meta, “permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies”.
Endorsed by activist groups such as Free Speech Coalition, Porn Hub responded in an open letter on Twitter imploring Instagram to “end all discrimination toward those involved in the adult industry” and to “immediately reinstate all accounts, including Pornhub, that have not violated any of Instagram’s Terms of Services.”
Pornhub's takedown on Instagram comes after much scrutiny of the website's content and monetization practices.
Within the last year, 34 individuals have sued Pornhub for nonconsensual exploitation. Illegal monetization of content profiteering of minors put a spotlight on consumer payment processing companies such as Visa and Mastercard.
In July, a federal court rejected Visa’s request to be removed from a case in which MindGeek, Pornhub's parent company, was being sued for allegedly distributing "CSAM" or child sexual abuse material. There were also allegations of Visa's full understanding of MindGeek’s illegal monetization of such material making Visa complicit in child pornography.
With ongoing allegations, Pornhub continues to defend its stance on social media.
“Pornhub's safe-for-work account has been disabled for three weeks. In the interim, Kim Kardashian has posted her fully exposed ass to her 330 million followers without any restrictive action from Instagram,” wrote Pornhub.
The company stands behind its allegations of "discriminatory behavior" on the social media platform and emphasizes its observation of reoccurring double standard treatment for celebrities and mainstream brands.
As Pornhub demands "full transparency" and "clear explanations" from the platform, Meta has yet to respond.