Stuart Carruthers

NAME: Stuart Carruthers
CENSORSHIP: Account Ban

@cloudbuster83

What reason was given for your ban?

Going against community guidelines for nudity and sexual activity.

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

I think it had something to do with some of my images showing male nudity.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

I appealed many times, and the appeals became almost a daily occurrence. My stories and post would be blocked I would go on to then appeal the block and Instagram would unblock my posts and reinstate them almost instantly. It is my belief that the number of blocks accumulated led to my whole account being closed down. Instagram closed my accounts down twice the second time with no explanation.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I found it very deflating. I lost my followers who had become a community to me. Which I had built up either through my shoots or conversations about my images. This community disappeared overnight when they closed my accounts.

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

You can build up followers,  a profile and a reputation and it can all be lost overnight