ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A popular social media app knew about the dangers young people on its platform were exposed to and failed to take action, according to a newly unredacted complaint filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez against Snapchat.
The NMDOJ originally filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc. on Sept. 4, but a newly filed, unredacted complaint reveals new details in the lawsuit.
“This latest filing demonstrates that Snapchat, not unlike Meta, has known for a very long time number one that they have underaged users on the platform. And number two, that those minors are routinely inundated with solicitations for inappropriate content,” said Torrez.
According to the complaint, international communications show employees discussed 10,000 reports of sextortion a month, noting the actual number of abuse is likely more. Also, according to the complaint, employees didn’t want to warn users about the dangers because they didn’t want to “strike fear” among young users. The lawsuit also cites an account that received 75 separate reports against it for inappropriate conduct and is still active. The safety concerns online lead to safety concerns in real life.