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A San Antonio man has been arrested following an investigation that began with a CyberTip report submitted by Snapchat, according to an affidavit from the San Antonio Police Department. The affidavit states that Luis Ramiro Salinas, 20, is accused of possessing illegal visual material involving a child. The charge is a third-degree felony under Texas law. According to SAPD Sgt. Steve O’Neal, who is assigned to the iChild Exploitation Unit, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Snapchat on Nov. 30, 2023. The CyberTip report flagged a suspect user account that allegedly uploaded multiple files and made concerning statements on the platform. Investigators reviewed the material, and police say at least one file met the legal definition of child pornography under Texas Penal Code. The affidavit also notes that Snapchat provided a “selfie”-style video connected to the account. An analyst with the Texas Office of the Attorney General used a law enforcement facial recognition database to identify the individual in the video as Salinas. Authorities say the identification was supported by a matching Texas driver’s license photo, as well as social media content linked to Salinas. Police conducted surveillance at an address on Ivanhoe

Snap’s direct revenue business has reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, the company announced on Wednesday. Annualized revenue refers to a business’s current revenue rate projected over a full year. The social media giant says the milestone is driven by its Snapchat+ offering, which has now surpassed 25 million subscribers. Launched in 2022, Snapchat+ gives subscribers access to exclusive and pre-release features for $3.99 per month. Following a successful launch, Snap introduced additional paid tiers beyond the core Snapchat+ subscription over the past year to further diversify its revenue streams. “Snapchat+ has become one of the fastest-growing consumer subscription services globally, with subscriber growth every quarter,” the company wrote in a blog post. “What started as an early-access program for our most engaged Snapchatters has quickly scaled into a meaningful business—one that now represents a strong and growing revenue stream alongside our ads business.” Last June, Snapchat launched Lens+, which gives users access to exclusive Lenses and AR experiences, along with the perks in the standard Snapchat+ tier, for $8.99 per month. In early 2025, the company launched an ad-free Snapchat+ subscription tier called Platinum for $15.99 per month. And, in a controversial move in September, Snapchat announced

Snap Inc has announced that its direct revenue division has reached a $1billion annualised revenue run rate, highlighting the growing contribution of paid subscriptions to the company’s overall business. The milestone is driven by Snapchat+, the platform’s premium tier, which now has more than 25 million subscribers globally. Launched in late 2022, Snapchat+ was originally seen as an early-access offering for highly engaged users. It has since expanded into a broader subscription product offering additional features for a monthly fee. The development shows Snap’s efforts to diversify its revenue streams at a time when digital advertising markets remain volatile. Snapchat has more than 946 million monthly active users worldwide, according to the company. Within that base, Snapchat+ offers features focused on customisation and interface changes, such as pinned friends, personalised chat backgrounds and additional Bitmoji options. In addition to Snapchat+, Snap has introduced other paid products. Lens+ provides subscribers with access to certain artificial intelligence and augmented reality tools. Snapchat Platinum offers a reduced-ad experience, while Memories Storage Plans allow users who exceed 5GB of stored content to purchase additional storage capacity. The company has also rolled out Creator Subscriptions, enabling users to pay individual creators for exclusive content and

Prime Minister ‌Pedro ​Sanchez pledges to end ‘impunity’ of platforms X, Meta and TikTok in promoting harmful content. The Spanish government ⁠has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media ⁠platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, the prime minister has said. “These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children,” Prime Minister ‌Pedro Sanchez posted on ⁠his X account on Tuesday. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 TikTok settles addiction lawsuit before trial against Meta, YouTube list 2 of 4 What’s UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok’s US takeover? list 3 of 4 French authorities raid X offices in Paris, summon Musk in cybercrime probe list 4 of 4 Russia bans WhatsApp, pushes state-backed alternative end of list “The state ⁠cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end.” The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on Big Tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive behaviour in digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media. Earlier ⁠this month, Sanchez announced ⁠several measures aimed at ⁠curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed

“2 026 is the new 2016.” This phrase has been circulating on social media since the beginning of the year as millions of TikTok and Instagram users take a nostalgic look back at 2016. As Zara Larsson’s ‘Lush Life’ returns to the charts, the Snapchat dog filter makes a comeback, and hundreds of viral memes resurface, the impact of 2016 on pop culture is undeniable. However, was 2016 truly as flawless as social media considers it to be? Or are we merely looking back on the year through rose-tinted lenses? Especially since the 2016 ‘aesthetic’ is literally draped in a rosy, pink-toned filter. Since the new year, millions have taken to social media to share their own throwback photos from this beloved year 2016 is often romanticised for its natural and authentic approach to social media. With the launch of Snapchat Memories (a tool used to save photos and videos in a private collection) a decade ago, it is clear that social media was dedicated to capturing the present moment rather than constructing performative photos and videos. Posts were dominated by the pink-hued, Rio de Janeiro filter, which has recently made a comeback on TikTok. Instagram feeds mainly consisted of

February 16, 2026 by Abigail Connolly Being on social media is like a rite of passage for most smartphone users, especially those from a younger crowd. However, it doesn’t mean they don’t come with their own risks. Social media has come a long way since its early days, and although most popular apps have safety features built in, there are still a lot of ways you can risk your privacy and personal information through them. For instance, there are some social media apps with features that end up tracking your location, and this might be happening when you don’t realize it. We spoke to tech experts about four social media apps that you may not have noticed can track your location. Read more about them below. 1. TikTok TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps these days, and some people are so 'addicted' to it that they spend several hours of the day scrolling through it. Although it might just seem like innocent video scrolling, there are some ways that the famous app can get access to more information than you'd think. "TikTok collects multiple layers of location data, including GPS (when allowed), IP geolocation, SIM region

Who would think of simply handing over their credit card to a stranger? Apparently a surprising number of people. Because the number of so-called money mules - people who knowingly or not help with money laundering - continues to rise. Complicated technical methods are now outdated: Money laundering is becoming analogue again. The doorbell rings. A friend of a friend is at the door. You saw him a few days ago in a story on Snapchat in which he held a bundle of fifties up to the camera. "Easy money" was written next to it. You hand him your credit card and a piece of paper with your PIN. There's not much money in the account, what have you got to lose? You should get it back the day after tomorrow – along with a good chunk of cash. Two days later, you're actually holding the card in your hands again, 200 euros richer – and you're also facing up to five years in prison for money laundering. What sounds like a story that would make most of us stand on end is an increasingly common reality for the police's money laundering department. Gone are the days when money laundering required

A woman jailed after overtaking on the wrong side of the road and causing a fatal collision had repeatedly posted videos of herself speeding while using her mobile phone to social media. Taxi driver Octavian Codreanu was killed at the scene on the B4425 near Aldsworth in December 2022, and his passenger, schoolteacher Moyra Whelan, later died from her injuries. Liberty Michell, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and two counts of causing death by driving whilst uninsured. Mitchell had passed her driving test just three weeks before the crash. Gloucestershire Police said footage from Mitchell’s Snapchat account showed her driving on narrow roads at speeds of up to 100mph. Mitchell, 21, of Chipping Norton, was sentenced to six years and eight months at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (13 February) and banned from driving for more than eight years.

A female teacher has been banned from the classroom for sending inappropriate messages to a vulnerable pupil at a special needs school she worked at. Kaodi O'Loughlin Campbell, 34, met the pupil while teaching at Elmwood School in Walsall, West Midlands, a special secondary school for children with social, emotional and mental health needs, between September 2021 and May 2022. But after leaving the school and finding a new job in a primary school, the two began communicating on social media in January 2023 and became friends on Snapchat. Communication between them continued for most of that year with the pupil reporting it to officials in October, leading to an investigation into the teacher's conduct. In one message, Ms O'Loughlin Campbell sent a message to the pupil stating: 'I ain't trying to move to you like that I ain't a pedo I just think you're a lovely person and I want the best for you.' In another she tells the pupil: 'Make sure you delete all messages from here.' One message instructs the pupil, whose name and gender has not been revealed, to 'delete these messages,' while another states: 'Add me back on Snap.' A report by a professional conduct

Meta — the parent company of facebook and instagram — is reportedly developing a new stand‑alone app called Instants that may compete directly with Snapchat by focusing on the core feature that made Snapchat popular: ephemeral photos and videos that disappear after viewing. This development highlights Meta’s ongoing efforts to capture the same user behavior that helped Snapchat grow its audience. 🧠  What Is Instants? Instants is an internal prototype app currently being tested within Meta, but it has not yet been released to the public or made available for general testing. The app is designed to let users send and receive disappearing visual content — photos and short videos — to friends, with messages vanishing after they are viewed or after a set time period. According to reports, Meta’s internal prototype Instants was spotted within Instagram’s interface and listed under an internal section called “Also from Meta,” where it was described as a way to share temporary photos with friends. 📸  How Instants Works Here’s what the app aims to do: Share disappearing photos and videos: Like Snapchat’s original messaging feature, images and clips disappear after being opened. Mutual followers only: Users may only send Instants to people they