Snapchat is facing a potential ban in the state of New Mexico as a new lawsuit has been filed by state Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleging that Snap has failed to protect children from sextortion, sexual exploitation, and other harms on the app.
The filing claims that Snapchat is now a primary platform used by criminals to carry out sextortion, one of the fastest-growing crimes targeting young people. New Mexico’s Department of Justice conducted an undercover investigation that uncovered a vast network of dark web sites sharing stolen, non-consensual sexual images.
AG Torrez stated, “Our undercover investigation revealed that Snapchat’s harmful design features create an environment where predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and sexual abuse. Snap has misled users into believing that content sent on their platform will disappear, but predators can capture this content and create a virtual yearbook of child sexual images.”
As part of the investigation, the New Mexico DOJ set up a fake profile of a 14-year-old girl on the app, which was targeted by dangerous accounts.
In response, Snapchat has reviewed the claims and will address them in court. Snapchat emphasized their commitment to online safety and working with various stakeholders to ensure a safe platform for all users.
The outcome of the case could result in penalties for Snapchat or a potential ban in the state of New Mexico, impacting the platform’s efforts to rebuild its business and attract ad partners.
The main concern is the safety of Snap users, and Snapchat will need to address any problematic engagement on the app as a result of the allegations.
While stamping out all abuse may be virtually impossible, Snap will need to evaluate its existing measures and consider additional protections as necessary.
It will be interesting to see how the case unfolds and what measures Snapchat takes to ensure the safety of its users in light of this lawsuit.