Normally when a social network updates its terms of service, barely anyone notices. But that's not the case with Instagram's newest Terms of Use , which have caused quite an uproar among sex workers online. The issue that's drawing notice is the platform's Community Guidelines.
They require adherence to Facebook's Sexual Solicitation rules, which is not a new addition to this version of the terms β but it's continued inclusion is a big concern for sex workers who reach their audience on the platform. Facebook, which owns Instagram, states in its policy that users can't post sexually explicit and implicit content, including suggestive emojis or references to "wetness" or an erection. This, as you can imagine, makes it difficult for people to promote sex work.
Instagram has said, both in a statement to Mashable and a subsequent tweet, that the new terms are focused on clarifying how the app uses data to serve personalized ads; what data advertisers receive; and licensing and IP usage.
They did not change any of the language around the posting of sexual or suggestive content. We're seeing some confusion that our Terms of Use update is targeted at sex workers.
We made some changes to our Terms to make them easier to understand; for example, we're providing clearer language on how we use data to personalize ads. The tweets' purpose, according to an Instagram spokesperson, was to clarify that their policies will not change when the new terms go into effect on Dec.
