Snapchat is a messaging app that is very popular among young people. That makes it an ideal target for potential sexual predators looking for new victims. An investigation by the New Mexico Department of Justice found that this is exactly what has been happening, which is why it has filed a lawsuit against Snap. Apparently, the company is not implementing sufficient measures to attack the situation.
New Mexico files lawsuit against Snap for failing to protect children from sextortion
Vanishing chats is one of the features that made Snapchat popular among young people. Messages that are only viewable once, or for 24 hours based on your settings, provide a certain level of privacy. Plus, the app sends a notification if any of the users take a screenshot of the conversation or even the profile. Therefore, young people use the app to send suggestive multimedia content, since theoretically, it will never leave the chat without you knowing it.
That said, the attorney general of New Mexico claims that this is not the case. According to the state Department of Justice’s investigation, “Snap has misled users into believing that photos and videos sent on their platform will disappear, but predators can permanently capture this content and they have created a virtual yearbook of child sexual images that are traded, sold, and stored indefinitely.” Basically, New Mexico is suing the company for failing to protect children from sextortion.
The prosecutor claims that Snapchat “fosters the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and facilitates child sexual exploitation.” The months-long investigation uncovered more than 10,000 records related to CSAM from Snap “in the last year alone.” It even claims that “sextortion scripts” are freely available on the internet, but Snapchat does not block them. Plus, Snapchat would make it easier for malicious actors to find others with similar intentions through the recommendation algorithm.
The lawsuit also mentions problems related to app addiction
The lawsuit doesn’t just address issues related to sextortion and CSAM. It also blames Snapchat for creating problems with the app’s addiction. This has “led some of its users to depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, body dysmorphia and other mental health issues,” according to the suit. New Mexico holds Snap accountable for designing its app with the goal of making it addictive.
This is not the first time that New Mexico has sued a large messaging or social media service. The state Department of Justice had previously sued Meta, alleging similar grounds to those in Snap’s suit. The lawmakers claim that these platforms are “prioritizing profits over children’s safety.”
2024-09-06 15:08:14