Snap Sued in New Mexico Over Child Sextortion Practices

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 is happening, and as a result, it has filed a lawsuit against Snap. Apparently, the company is not implementing sufficient measures to address 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 can only be viewed once, or for 24 hours based on your settings, offer a level of privacy. Additionally, the app sends a notification if one of the users takes a screenshot of the conversation or even the profile. This is why young people use the app to send suggestive multimedia content, because in theory it will never leave the chat without you knowing.

That said, the New Mexico Attorney General alleges that this is not the case. According to the state Department of Justice investigation, “Snap deceived users into believing that photos and videos sent on its platform would disappear, but predators were able to permanently capture this content, creating a virtual yearbook of sexual images of children that were traded, sold, and stored indefinitely.” In fact, New Mexico is suing the company for failing to protect children from sextortion.

The plaintiff alleges that Snapchat “promotes the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and facilitates the sexual exploitation of children.” The months-long investigation uncovered more than 10,000 records related to Snap’s CSAM “in the past year alone.” It even alleges that “sextortion scripts” are freely available on the internet, but that Snapchat does not block them. What’s more, Snapchat allegedly makes it easier for malicious actors to find others with similar intentions through its recommendation algorithm.

The lawsuit also raises issues related to app addiction

The lawsuit isn’t just about sextortion and CSAM. Snapchat is also accused of creating addictive problems with the app, which has “resulted in depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, body dysmorphia, and other mental health issues for some users,” the lawsuit says. New Mexico is holding Snap responsible for designing the app with the intent to make it addictive.

This isn’t the first time New Mexico has sued a major messaging or social media service. The state’s Justice Department previously sued Meta, citing similar grounds to Snap’s lawsuit. Lawmakers allege that these platforms “put profits above the safety of children.”