Sophie Cohen

NAME: Sophie Cohen
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Insta @houseofvixens_offical
CENSORSHIP: Shadow & content ban & threats of removal

What reason was given for your ban?

That they were of a sexual nature or for nudity even though there was no nudity and the images/films were no worse than what celebrities and large brands are posting.

Why do you think your post(s) was censored?

Because we are a small all-female erotic performance company that brings in no revenue stream for Meta. The sheer magnitude of Instagram makes human curation impossible. The algorithms that dictate what is ok or not ok are created by white men in tech meaning they flag marginalised people, art and communities far more than anything else.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

Yes, they were reinstated eventually without any useful insights into why.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I just stopped posting. It feels like a waste to share art on a platform that is misogynistic and anti-free expression.

What’s one thing you want people to know about this topic?

The ability of large tech to censor what they deem to be morally acceptable is hugely dangerous to the fabric of society and should not be tolerated in any way.