Instagram launches porn crackdown

Adult entertainers have complained about having their accounts deleted. Photo / 123RF

Porn stars have spoken out after Instagram began deleting their content, with the social media giant saying that it removed the content to protect young people.

The adult entertainers argue that they shouldn't be treated differently from mainstream celebs, with Adult Performers Actors Guild President Alana Evans telling the BBC: "I should be able to model my Instagram account on Sharon Stone or any other verified profile, but the reality is that doing that would get me deleted."

The Guild has collated a list of over 1,000 adult performers who claim that their accounts were deleted, despite not showing any nudity or sex.

"They discriminate against us because they don't like what we do for a living," Evans said.

The group brokered a meeting with Instagram, which led to a new appeal system being instituted, but the deletions continued after talks stalled, reports the BBC.

When porn star Jessica Jaymes had her account removed after her death in September. Evans was disappointed.

"When I saw that Jessica's account was deleted, my heart sunk. It was the last straw," she told the BBC.

The popular account was later reinstated.

Porn stars have blamed some of the deletions on a single user - a shadowy figure who goes by the handle "Omid" who claimed to be responsible for hundreds of claims against the accounts.

A message from Omid. Photo / Supplied

A spokesperson for Facebook, which owns Instagram, told the BBC: "With such a globally diverse community, we have to put rules in place around nudity and sexual solicitation to ensure content is appropriate for everyone, particularly young people.

"We will take action on content reported to us if it breaks these rules. We give people the opportunity to appeal the decision and will reinstate content if we mistakenly remove something."