Snapchat storefront: Disappearing messages make illegal drug sales too easy – Pleasanton Weekly

Getty Images By Shivani Ramanathan  “Snapchat is not harmless messaging anymore, strangers know exactly where teens are, how to contact them, and that is not even what scares me the most,” worried Malini Alagappan.  Alagappan is a concerned local parent who has been learning about the dangers of Snapchat for a few years.  Snapchat is known for disappearing messages, sending pictures to friends, and recording videos with filters. But behind the doors and all the exciting Ariana Grande filters, “dozens, potentially over a hundred, young people have died”. Today, Snapchat is being used as an easy gateway for drug dealers to introduce and sell counterfeit pills to innocent teenagers.  Across the United States, parents are suing the social media company, Snapchat Inc, arguing how the social media platform allows illegal drug sales to spread due to the disappearing chat histories. After 24 hours, all the chat histories are permanently deleted, allowing drug dealers to communicate location, persuasion, and other dangers to teenagers. The disappearing message also makes it more difficult for parents and law enforcement to track conversations between the teens and the drug dealers.  Drug dealers are using Snapchat to friend request teenagers and advertise counterfeit pills that look
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