Snap claims that New Mexico intentionally befriended alleged child predators and then blamed the company.
Snap claims that the allegations in the complaint are "manifestly false."
Snap has firmly responded to a lawsuit that suggests the company systematically recommends accounts of teenagers to sexual predators, stating that the allegations are false. The company accuses New Mexico's Attorney General of intentionally seeking out such accounts before any recommendations were made.
According to Snap, the lawsuit filed by AG Raúl Torrez is based on "serious misrepresentations" and a biased selection of the company's internal documents. In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Snap claims that the AG's allegations are "patently false." They highlight that the AG created an undercover account posing as a supposed 14-year-old minor, which has been misinterpreted.
Torrez contends that Snap has violated the state's unfair practices and public nuisance laws, claiming that the lack of transparency regarding the safety of its disappearing messages has allowed abusers to collect and retain exploitive images of minors. However, Snap defends that it was, in fact, the investigators who sent friend requests from the undercover account to clearly suspicious usernames.
Furthermore, the company claims that rather than being contacted, the decoy account sought out and added a specific account named “Enzo (Nud15Ans).” This account allegedly asked the decoy to send anonymous messages via an encrypted messaging service. On the other hand, it is noted that the AG claims that after connecting with Enzo, Snapchat suggested over 91 users, including many adults looking for explicit sexual content.
Snap also argues that the state misinterprets its internal documents, pointing out that it does not choose not to store images of child sexual abuse, but rather that federal law prohibits such practices. They assert that they report any related content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as mandated.
The Director of Communications for the New Mexico Department of Justice, Lauren Rodriguez, has indicated that Snap is attempting to dismiss the case to evade responsibility for the harm their platform causes to children. According to her, the evidence presented, including internal documents and findings from the investigation, demonstrates that Snap is aware of the dangers on its platform but has not taken the necessary measures.
Rodriguez also criticizes Snap's focus on minor details of the investigation, arguing that this distracts from the serious issues raised in the case. The company is trying to dismiss the lawsuit for various reasons, including the state's intention to implement age verification and parental controls, which they would argue constitutes a violation of the First Amendment. Additionally, Snap mentions that the AG's claims regarding the alleged misrepresentation of its services are based on exaggerated statements and aspirations that do not guarantee the elimination of all potential risks from third parties.
