Why was Instagram forced to change its policy on nudity?

Instagram plans to update its policy on nudity after it was accused of censoring a plus-size model.

In August, the social media platform was accused of “racial bias” after it removed a photo of black model and activist Nyome Nicholas-Williams in which she was holding her breasts.

A wave of content creators then confirmed the platform was repeatedly discriminating against black people, plus-size users and other marginalised communities, by deleting their photos or failing to promote them in the same way it did for its white users.

The pictures were back up after Instagram restored them after global outrage and allegations of censorship. The hashtag #iwanttoseenyome had trended and gone viral.

After Nicholas-Williams campaign Instagram had planned to review its policy on nudity. Instagram’s new policy on nudity will also allow nude people hugging each other and also cupping their breasts.

A spokesperson for Instagram told The Guardian it had made a mistake when it deleted the photos. “As we looked into this more closely, we realized it was an instance where our policy on breast squeezing wasn’t being correctly applied. Hearing Nyome’s feedback helped us understand where this policy was falling short, and how we could refine it.”

Nicholas-Williams welcomed the announcement. “Hopefully this policy change will bring an end to the censorship of fat black bodies,” she wrote in an Instagram post celebrating the victory.