September 8, 2022
Washington Stand: Goodbye, Exploitation- Instagram Suspends Pornhub’s Account Amid Criminal Allegations
Over the weekend, Instagram delivered a hit to the pornography industry by deplatforming Pornhub from its audience of over 13 million followers. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) claims the Meta-owned company’s action is a result of their lobbying against the organization. In a press release, CEO Dawn Hawkins applauds Instagram’s stand against sexual exploitation. “Instagram is courageously choosing to stop partnering with Pornhub, and it is time for all corporate entities to follow its example,” Hawkins said.
“[They were] right to remove Pornhub from its platform for violating its community standards given the increasing reports of Pornhub hosting child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, filmed rape, and non-consensual videos and images,” Hawkins went on. “Instagram served as a distribution partner with this criminal enterprise, helping to push millions to their website, including children. We are grateful that Instagram has heard the voices of sexual abuse survivors who have been personally harmed by Pornhub’s insatiable appetite for profit.”...
“Now, we need the DOJ to [do] its job,” said Donna Rice Hughes, president and CEO of Enough is Enough, in a statement. “Law enforcement must declare war on all forms of sexual exploitation and prosecute Pornhub for a trifecta of violations of three U.S. Federal laws: trafficking, child sex abuse material and obscenity.”