Defend Dignity joins other organizations around the globe in commending Instagram for disabling Pornhub’s account on their platform.
Defend Dignity, along with other global partners, has been meeting with Instagram executives for over 3 years. In that time we’ve pointed out the need for Instagram to take action against harmful, sexually violent content on their platform.
As a result of these meetings they have made improvements over time, particularly in regards to protecting minors from predators. However, little has been done to curb the rampant pornography that exists on their platform.
Pornhub’s account, for example, had 13.1 million followers on Instagram before being shut down. Minors could easily access this account which included explicit photos and encouraged viewers to become porn stars.
In multiple meetings Defend Dignity questioned Instagram about how this account could exist given it seemed to clearly violate their community standards. We, along with others, repeatedly reported this account to Instagram. We received no response.
Finally, in early September, Instagram did the right thing and shut Pornhub’s account down.
This move seems to confirm that Pornhub is quickly becoming a pariah among companies that used to enable its exploits. In late July, a US federal judge ruled that Visa helped Pornhub monetize child porn and sex trafficking and therefore can be sued by survivors who allege abuse and exploitation by Pornhub. With this news it’s no wonder that Pornhub is being ditched by other companies who wish to avoid being implicated in their criminal activities.
We thank Instagram for listening to Defend Dignity and all our allies and making this decision.
And we hope other corporations follow Instagram’s example and cut ties with porn sites as well as examining their practices to ensure they are not inadvertently promoting pornography sites with illegal material.
We also encourage Instagram to use all their technological expertise to secure a safe experience for children on their platform. Sexual exploitation continues to be rampant on Instagram – grooming, luring, child sexual abuse materials, and of course unwanted pornography exposure. More must be done to combat this.
Our Choose Change campaign continues to ask Instagram to make these changes. By lending your voice to this campaign you’ll contribute to a critical mass that can truly make a difference in the fight against sexual exploitation. Get involved at choosechangecanada.org/instagram