Snap sued by New Mexico over failure to protect children from sexual exploitation

New Mexico said on Thursday it filed a lawsuit against Snapchat owner Snap Inc, alleging that the messaging app’s policies and design features facilitate the sharing of child sexual exploitation material.

The lawsuit brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said a months-long investigation found that Snapchat was a primary platform for sextortion, in which a predator coerces a minor into sending explicit photos or videos and threatens to distribute the content unless more sexual content or money is paid.