Unredacted lawsuit information gives further insight into Utah’s arguments against Snapchat.

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
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