New Mexico accuses Snapchat of being ‘breeding ground’ for child predators

New Mexico sued Snap, Inc. on Thursday, accusing the Snapchat maker of facilitating child sexual exploitation on its platform.

The state alleges that Snapchat, known for its disappearing images and messages, has become a “breeding ground” for predators to collect sexually explicit images of children and extort them.

Snapchat has become the “predominant forum” for such sextortion schemes due to the false sense of security created by ephemeral messaging and other features that connect children with predators, the lawsuit argues.

A monthslong undercover investigation conducted by the New Mexico Department of Justice found a “vast network” of dark web sites sharing nonconsensual images from Snapchat, including more than 10,000 records in the last year, according to a press release.

“Our undercover investigation revealed that Snapchat’s harmful design features create an environment where predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement.