Daily Beast: Instagram Arbitrarily Bans Sexual Hashtags

CYBERSPACE — Image-based social media site Instagram seems to arbitrarily ban some sexual or explicit hashtags, but not others, a reporter for the Daily Beast noted in an op-ed published today.

The current list of censored words and phrases on the Data Pack technology blog reveals that while #sex, #porn, #arse and #wet are "no-nos," #dildos, #chink, #faketits and #mouthtopenis are "a-ok."

“While the intention of Instagram’s censorship was seemingly to filter out crude content, the original implementation fell short, blocking users from searching seemingly benign hashtags like #foodorgasm, #thesexpistols or #lazyasfuck due to a partial match of a blocked word,” wrote Nick Drewe of the Daily Beast.

The bans can easily be bypassed by combining two blocked words or using a longer variation, which will often result in hundreds or thousands of image results. But, as Drewe notes, most of the content that surfaces isn’t pornographic anyway, suggesting that the bans might be superfluous.   

“The results for #nipple reveal less than a handful of male-only nipples, and the hashtag #naked returns more juice than bodies,” he wrote.

To read Drewe's "Instagram’s Sex Censorship is Inconsistent and Hilarious" on the Daily Beast, click here.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Nebraska Republican's Age Verification Bill Gets 1st Round Approval Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral legislature has passed the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still have antitrust claims that they may pursue in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have filed a petition before the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit asking to stay its recent upholding the law because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

APClips Names Avery Jane 'Creator of the Month'

APClips has named Avery Jane its Creator of the Month for March.

JustFor.fans Offers Gumroad Users Platform to Sell NSFW Artwork

JustFor.fans (JFF) is offering Gumroad users a platform to sell NSFW artwork after the latter banned adult content.

Show More