Why is Instagram deleting the accounts of hundreds of porn stars?

Hundreds of porn stars and sex workers had their Instagram accounts deleted this year, and many say that they're being held to a different standard than mainstream celebrities.

"I should be able to model my Instagram account on Sharon Stone or any other verified profile, but the reality is that doing that would get me deleted," says Alana Evans, president of the Adult Performers Actors Guild and one of the leading voices in the battle that adult stars are waging to stay on the platform.

Ms Evans' group has collected a list of more than 1,300 performers who claim that their accounts have been deleted by Instagram's content moderators for violations of the site's community standards, despite not showing any nudity or sex.

"They discriminate against us because they don't like what we do for a living," Ms Evans says.

Adult performer and sex workers' rights activist Ginger Banks was one of the first targets of the campaign.

"When you put time and effort into building an account with over 300,000 followers and it gets deleted, that makes you feel defeated," she says. "Even if you're following the rules, you still have your account deleted. And that's the part that's frustrating."