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#STOPDELETINGUS – Lovehoney's Response & What You Need to Know
on 3 Jul 2023
In the last couple of weeks, Meta has banned or suspended a significant number of sex-positive and kink accounts on Instagram, including the likes of Slut Social and even the Sex Workers Union account. This has prompted the ‘Stop Deleting Us’ campaign, set up by creators to protest against the measures.
Here’s all you need to know about what’s been happening, and Lovehoney’s response.
It’s no secret that Lovehoney and its sister brands, including Womanizer, have had their own issues with Meta and Instagram, and have even been suspended from the platform on numerous occasions. As such, we are no stranger to the strict and often unjust regulations that Meta enforces on its platforms, which has most recently led to the suspension of several sex-positive accounts.
In response to Meta’s targeted actions, a group of creators in the sphere have teamed together to form a protest campaign, named #STOPDELETINGUS. As part of this campaign, a ‘die-in’ protest is being held outside Meta’s offices on Brock Street, London, between 2pm and 6pm tomorrow (4th July). You can see more information via this Instagram post.
Lovehoney representatives will also be attending the protest, where we will have a sign-crafting station.
Friederike Lewin, Global Head of Communications at Lovehoney, had the following to say on the matter:
“Lovehoney and all associated brands are vehemently against Meta’s recent activity regarding the suspension of sex-positive, educational, and related accounts. We are all too aware of the tight, random and at times unfair restrictions of the platform, having experienced the suspension of our accounts before. Many of the accounts that have been banned play an important role in educating and informing about sex-related topics, something that is woefully under-taught in the UK and beyond.
“To be clear, this is an attack on sex positivity as well as the livelihoods of the people behind the accounts who rely on them for their line of work, which should be celebrated rather than shamed. Facing many marketing restrictions, we frequently work alongside creators in this sphere, and stand behind them and the whole #STOPDELETINGUS movement.”
Meta is not the only place that sex-positive brands and people face tough restrictions; Google’s SafeSearch policy also unfairly censors against sex-positive brands like Lovehoney, making it difficult to advertise our site to people that want to access it.
Ultimately, we hope that the matter can be resolved as swiftly as possible, and the vital education that some of these sex-positive accounts can be resumed, and livelihoods restored.
