Snapchat has failed to act on “rampant” reports of child rearing, sexual abuse and other risks to children on its platform, according to a newly revised complaint against the company filed by the New Mexico attorney general.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed the first complaint on September 4, but internal messages and other information were redacted. Tuesday’s filing revealed internal messages between employees and executives at Snap Inc. who provide “continued reassurance that Snapchat’s dangerous features create an environment that promotes sexism, sexual harassment and unwanted communication from adults to children,” Torrez said in a news release.
For example, former trust and security employees complained that there was “backlash” from management when they tried to add security measures, according to the lawsuit. The staff also noted that user reports about grooming and sex – which lured someone to post pornographic images online and then threatened to make the images public unless the victim paid money or engaged in sexual activity – fell through the cracks. At one point, the account remained active despite 75 reports against it for talking about “nudity, children and looting.”
Snap said in a statement that its platform was designed with “safeguards built in” and that the company “deliberately chose to design to make it difficult for strangers to find children on our service.”
“We continue to evolve our security measures and policies, from using advanced technology to detect and block certain activity, to prevent friending of suspicious accounts, to work closely with law enforcement and government agencies, among many others,” the company said.
According to the lawsuit, Snap knew full well, but failed to warn parents, young users and the public that “rape was rampant, ‘massive,’ and ‘problematic’ on Snapchat.”
An internal email dated November 2022 from a security and privacy employee said Snapchat received reports of “nearly 10,000” users being sexually exploited each month.
“If this is true, we have an incredibly sensitive issue on our hands, in my humble opinion,” the email continued.
Another employee responded that it is important to note that the number may represent “a small fraction of this abuse,” as users may be embarrassed and because sextortion is “not easy to distinguish” when trying to report it on the site.
Torrez filed a lawsuit against Santa Monica, California-based Snap Inc. in the district court in Santa Fe. In addition to sexual harassment, the lawsuit claims that the company also openly promotes child trafficking and the sale of illegal drugs and firearms.
-Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology writer
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