Snap Sued by New Mexico Over Snapchat Sextortion of Child

The New Mexico Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Snapand alleges that the design features of the social media app Snapchat create an environment where “predators can easily target children through sextortion practices and other forms of sexual abuse.”

“Snap has deceived users into believing that photos and videos posted to its platform will disappear. However, scammers have been able to permanently capture this content, creating a virtual yearbook of child pornography images that are traded, sold and stored indefinitely,” Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a statement.

“Through our lawsuit against Meta and Snap, the New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to hold these platforms accountable for putting profits ahead of children’s safety,” Torrez said.

Torrez previously filed a lawsuit against Meta, the owner of Facebook, because he claims the social media platform also enables the sexual exploitation of children.

In May, a New Mexico judge denied Meta’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.

CNBC has reached out to Snap for comment on Torrez’s lawsuit.

– Additional reporting by Josephine Rozzelle

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