Social media platform Instagram has suspended Pornhub’s account following pressure from campaigners against the porn site.
The news, first reported by Variety, notes that at the time of its removal, PornHub’s Instagram account had some 13.1 million followers and 6,200 posts.
The account posted safe-for-work content that promoted PornHub’s various videos and performers. PornHub still operates popular accounts on other social media platforms like Twitter.
According to Variety, the move comes one month after Visa and Mastercard cut off payment privileges of TrafficJunky, the advertising arm of Pornhub parent company MindGeek.
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This followed a federal court ruling in July rejecting Visa’s request to be removed from a case in which MindGeek is being sued for allegedly distributing child pornography and that alleges Visa knowingly facilitated MindGeek’s ability to monetise the illegal content.
Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), said while Pornhub shared nonpornographic videos and images, it had “directly promoted pornography” and featured videos like “Next Career Goal” encouraging people to become pornography performers.
“Instagram is courageously choosing to stop partnering with Pornhub, and it is time for all corporate entities to follow its example,” Hawkins said.
The NCOSE was among a group of advocates that has lobbied Instagram to remove Pornhub.
Pornhub’s Twitter account remains active with 3.4 million followers, while its official YouTube channel boats about 882,000 subscribers.
The move was celebrated by the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Justice Defense Fund, Laila Mickelwait, who has long been opposed to the platform since it has ties to the sex trafficking of minors.
“Instagram has made the right decision by cutting ties with Pornhub, and now joins Visa, Mastercard, Discover, PayPal, Grant Thornton, Heinz, Unilever, Roku, and many other companies in rejecting to do business with Pornhub, a site infamous for monetizing the sex trafficking and criminal sexual abuse of countless victims including children,” Mickelwait said in a statement to the New York Daily News.
