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The New Mexico attorney general filed a lawsuit against Snap, alleging that its social media app Snapchat’s design features create an environment where “predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse.”
“Snap has misled users into believing that photos and videos sent on their platform will disappear, but predators can permanently capture this content and they have created a virtual yearbook of child sexual images that are traded, sold, and stored indefinitely,” Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a statement.
“Through our litigation against Meta and Snap, the New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to hold these platforms accountable for prioritizing profits over children’s safety,” Torrez said.
Torrez previously sued Meta, the owner of Facebook, alleging that the social media platform also enables sexual exploitation of children.
In May, a New Mexico judge denied Meta’s request to dismiss that suit.
CNBC has requested comment from Snap about Torrez’s lawsuit.
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