SnapChat

In a courtroom battle that could reshape how social media platforms police illicit activities, grieving parents are taking on Snapchat, accusing the app of facilitating a deadly pipeline for fentanyl-laced drugs that claimed their children’s lives. The lawsuit, which has garnered attention from legal experts and tech regulators alike, centers on claims that Snapchat’s design features, such as disappearing messages and geolocation tools, enable drug dealers to target vulnerable teens with impunity. Families argue that the platform’s algorithms and lack of robust monitoring have turned it into a virtual marketplace for counterfeit pills, often disguised as legitimate prescription drugs but laced with lethal fentanyl. The case gained renewed momentum this year, with over 60 families joining forces in a consolidated suit filed in Los Angeles. According to details reported in a recent article by ZeroHedge, plaintiffs like Amy Neville, who lost her 14-year-old son Alexander to a fentanyl overdose in 2020, are pushing for accountability beyond mere apologies. Neville’s story, echoed by many, highlights how her son connected with a dealer via Snapchat, purchasing what he believed was oxycodone—only to ingest a fatal dose of fentanyl. The suit alleges product liability, asserting that Snapchat’s features inherently aid illegal drug sales.

In 2013, Facebook quietly acquired Onavo, an Israeli tech company specializing in mobile analytics. At the center of that acquisition was Onavo Protect, a virtual private network (VPN) app marketed as a way for users to browse safely and manage data usage. What most users didn’t realize was that Onavo Protect was collecting detailed information about their mobile habits and sending it directly to Facebook. Over the years, more than 33 million users downloaded the app. Behind the scenes, it served as a window into how people used their phones—tracking which apps were being opened, how long they were used, and how much data they consumed. Facebook reportedly used this data to monitor market threats, including identifying the growing popularity of WhatsApp and Snapchat. That intelligence shaped some major business moves. It helped justify Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp in 2014. Similarly, insights gathered from Onavo reportedly informed the rollout of Instagram Stories, which mimicked core features of Snapchat after it was flagged as a rising competitor. Apple stepped in by 2018, concluding that Onavo Protect violated its App Store rules. The app was removed for collecting user data beyond what was necessary for its function. That takedown sparked

Home Crime Gainesville man arrested for sending explicit photos to a 15-year-old girl August 1, 2025 Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brendan Daniel Dinkins, 27, was arrested yesterday for allegedly sending explicit photos of himself to a 15-year-old girl over a period of about a year. The victim came forward in May 2025 and told a Gainesville Police Department officer that she had been communicating with Dinkins since the summer of 2024; she said Dinkins requested nude images of her, sent her nude photos of his genitals, and asked her almost daily to meet him for sex, although she said she never did. The victim said she had met Dinkins online and provided identification information for him but said she had deleted the images he sent and the messages between them. When the officer asked why she had come forward after this had gone on for such a long period of time, she said Dinkins had blocked her on Snapchat and she was afraid he had nude images of her that he might share with others. The officer submitted search warrants for Dinkins’s Facebook and Snapchat accounts, but a review of the records showed no communication between Dinkins and the

Hamburg police charged Cory Los-Shumacher with selling marijuana to minors via social media after parents reported suspicious activity. HAMBURG, N.Y. — A Hamburg man is facing charges for allegedly selling marijuana to minors through social media, according to the Town of Hamburg Police.  Officers arrested 34-year-old Cory Los-Shumacher following an investigation by the town police narcotics unit, which began after parents reported suspicious online activity involving their children. Police said Los-Shumacher used apps like Snapchat to coordinate marijuana sales to juveniles. Los-Shumacher was arraigned Friday in Hamburg Town Court. He's been charged with criminal sale of cannabis to a person under the age of 21, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawfully dealing with a child. He was released on his own recognizance because the charges are non-qualifying offenses for setting bail in New York State. Police credited the victims’ parents for helping to bring the case to light. "The Town of Hamburg Police would like to acknowledge the actions of the victims' parents for their willingness to report this incident," the department said in a statement posted to social media. "Their prompt report helped prevent more young people from falling prey to Schumacher's online sales, which targeted juvenile

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Ryan Gary Patch, 28, of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment today and a lifetime term of supervised release after he kidnapped and sexually abused a 15-year-old girl that he met on Instagram, before he was captured and arrested in Cedar City, Utah. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, comes after Patch pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. As part of his sentence, the court ordered Patch to pay $11,093.15 in restitution to the victim. According to court documents and statements made at Patch’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on July 24, 2024, the Cedar City Police Department received a call of an abducted minor being transported through Utah. According to the reporting party, the 15-year-old victim was taken from her home in California in the early morning hours of July 24, 2024, and was being transported to Ohio. The victim contacted her family from a newly created Instagram account on a newly gifted iPad and provided them information on her whereabouts. The victim’s phone was previously broken and disposed of by Patch before

Thu, Jul 31, 2025, 10:51 AM 1 min read In This Article: This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Snapchat has published a new report which looks at the promotional opportunities for quick service restaurants (QSR) in the app, and how rising interest in food delivery services among younger audiences can be a key opportunity for brands. The report, created in partnership with Publicis Media and NRG, incorporates responses from 3,115 fast food consumers across 5 markets. You can check out the full report here, but in this post, we’ll take a look at the key notes. First off, the report looks at the way social media impacts food trends, and how brands can use this to advantage. As per Snap: “Whether they’re deciding on what to eat or keeping up with the latest food trends, many consumers use social to start their food purchase journey because all the info is already at their fingertips. In fact, 76% agree seeing tasty-looking items on social media prompts them to order food. Snapchatters in particular are 2.7x more likely to make QSR-related purchases by using

Local News, Public Safety, News, No paywall-free, Breaking News LATEST: Oregon Coast under tsunami advisory after powerful Russia quake, one of world’s strongest

When the state of Utah first sued Snapchat in June, much of the legal complaint was redacted — but last week, Snapchat’s lawyers filed a motion to keep a few paragraphs blacked out, while agreeing to make the rest public. The suit, filed by the state’s Division of Consumer Protection, accuses Snap Inc., the parent company of the Snapchat messaging app, of violating Utah law by using “deceptive design features that addict children; harm their mental health and wellbeing; and facilitate illegal drug sales, sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, the distribution of pornography, and other unlawful acts.” A spokesperson from Snap said the “safety of Snapchatters” is their highest priority, and criticized the state’s lawsuit. “Last year, a social media law passed in Utah was preliminarily enjoined after the court ruled it was likely unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment’s protection of free speech,” the Snap spokesperson said in a statement. “The Utah Attorney General is resorting to civil litigation as a means to circumvent the court and impose age verification requirements and age-related restrictions in ways that are unconstitutional.” The state’s complaint initially blacked out details supporting those accusations. The newer, less-redacted version, released to the public Tuesday, offers these five

Photo: Maries County Sheriff's Office Rikki Lynn Laughlin , the married 25-year-old former Missouri teacher accused of sending nude photos and videos of herself to a minor, who she propositioned for sex while her husband was away from home pleaded guilty to sending explicit content, but avoided jail time for harsher charges. Laughlin, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk (first offense) no sexual conduct last Thursday (July 24), according to KRGC . The former special education teacher admitted to sending X-rated photos and a video to the 16-year-old student on Snapchat, as well as soliciting nude photos of the boy to attempt to pressure him into having sex, however, had charges of statutory rape and sex trafficking of a child dropped. The teenager reportedly told police that "things progressed fast" after the two interacted on Snapchat and that he had kissed Laughlin, but "made excuses" when she invited him to have sex because "he did not feel comfortable," according to a probable cause statement by the Maries County Sheriff's Office. An investigation into the alleged actions was launched by local authorities after receiving a tip from a Phelps County detective on October

Photo: Maries County Sheriff's Office Rikki Lynn Laughlin , the married 25-year-old former Missouri teacher accused of sending nude photos and videos of herself to a minor, who she propositioned for sex while her husband was away from home pleaded guilty to sending explicit content, but avoided jail time for harsher charges. Laughlin, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk (first offense) no sexual conduct last Thursday (July 24), according to KRGC . The former special education teacher admitted to sending X-rated photos and a video to the 16-year-old student on Snapchat, as well as soliciting nude photos of the boy to attempt to pressure him into having sex, however, had charges of statutory rape and sex trafficking of a child dropped. The teenager reportedly told police that "things progressed fast" after the two interacted on Snapchat and that he had kissed Laughlin, but "made excuses" when she invited him to have sex because "he did not feel comfortable," according to a probable cause statement by the Maries County Sheriff's Office. An investigation into the alleged actions was launched by local authorities after receiving a tip from a Phelps County detective on October