Nevada attorney general launches go-it-alone lawsuits against social media firms in state court
Nevadaโs attorney general has launched a go-it-alone legal fight accusing TikTok, Snapchat and Meta of creating what one lawsuit calls โan addiction machineโ that exploits children too young to have self-control.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Like the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem in the mental health crisis among youth.
Group urges feds to investigate Snapchat over fentanyl sales
As the U.S. deals with its deadliest overdose crisis to date, a national crime-prevention group is calling on the Justice Department to clamp down on social mediaโs role in the spread of fentanyl, the drug largely driving a troubling spike in overdose deaths among teenagers.
Royal Oak man sentenced after raping girl, leaving another in parking lot, hiding another under bed
A Royal Oak man who lured a 14-year-old to his home over Snapchat, left another teenage girl in a Detroit parking lot after raping her, and had a runaway hiding naked under his bed has been sentenced to federal prison.
Garden City man uses โtruth or dare,โ blackmail to make girls perform sex acts on selves, family, pets
A criminal complaint broke down how a Garden City man used games of โtruth or dareโ over Snapchat to receive nude images of young girls and then blackmail them with those images to force them to perform sex acts on themselves, siblings, and pets.
Twitter without Trump tumbles along with other tech shares
FILE - This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. Twitter is launching tweets that disappear in 24 hours called Fleets globally, echoing social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram that already have disappearing posts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Shares of social media and other tech companies slid Monday, hit by fallout from the siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporter of President Donald Trump. Trump supporters have argued that the actions of the technology companies is a violation of free speech and Trump has long tried to repeal Section 230. Though Trump's tenure ends in nine days, power in the Senate has flipped to the Democrats who have long begrudged the oversized influence of social media.
Twitter launches disappearing tweets that vanish in a day
Twitter is launching tweets that disappear in 24 hours called โFleetsโ globally, echoing social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram that already have disappearing posts. Twitter tested the feature in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea, before rolling it out globally. Fleets are a โlower pressureโ way to communicate โfleeting thoughtsโ as opposed to permanent tweets, Twitter executives Joshua Harris, design director, and Sam Haveson, product manager, said in a blog post. The news comes the same day Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced questions from a Senate Judiciary Committee about how they handled disinformation surrounding the presidential election. Such features are increasingly popular with social media users looking for smaller groups and and more private chats.
Pontiac man charged with sexually abusing 12-year-old Allen Park girl
ALLEN PARK, Mich. โ A 35-year-old man is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct after Allen Park police said he met a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat. Allen Park police investigated when the girlโs parents reported her missing on Aug. 19. Hodges, who is HIV positive, is charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct along with another count involving someone under 13. It began when the girl was chatting on the app with Hodges, who she thought was 19 years old. The relationship started to come out when the girlโs parents reported her missing.
Detroit police officer files lawsuit over Snapchat video
DETROIT - A Detroit police captain has filed a lawsuit claiming racial discrimination after being demoted over a controversial Snapchat video. Gary Sroka claims he and another white officer were unfairly punished while a black command member was not disciplined. The video in question uploaded by former Officer Gary Steele shows a black woman walking home after having her car was towed with the caption "Black girl magic." Steele was fired in February. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Detroit police officer files lawsuit over Snapchat video
A Detroit police captain has filed a lawsuit claiming racial discrimination after being demoted over a controversial Snapchat video. Gary Sroka claims he and another white officer were unfairly... Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
South Carolina boy drives 200 miles to live with stranger he met on Snapchat
An 11-year-old South Carolina boy drove his brother's car 200 miles to meet a man he met on Snapchat. (CNN) - An 11-year-old boy drove 200 miles across South Carolina to meet a stranger he knew only on Snapchat, the Charleston Police Department said. The child drove from the northwest town of Simpsonville to Charleston. He told the officer early Monday morning he had taken his brother's car to go to Charleston where he wanted to live with "an unknown male he met on Snapchat," police said. Police have launched an investigation into the unknown male, Charleston spokesman Charles Francis told CNN affiliate WCSC.
Restaurant chain revives famous 'lost murals' through Snapchat AR
For National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is underway now through mid-October, the chain restaurant El Pollo Loco -- which has locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Louisiana -- is using augmented reality to bring back some of Los Angeles lost murals, as theyre called. (We are) working with our communities to ensure the legacy of our city's great murals endures through digitally restoring lost murals and donating our storefronts as permanent canvases.So what does that mean, exactly? The website provides a list of where exactly these murals are located in L.A. The campaign is expected to last throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15. [READ NEXT: 5 Instant Pot dishes to make for Hispanic Heritage Month | 10 Spanish-speaking TV shows you should be streaming on Netflix | How did Hispanic Heritage Month come to be? ]
11-Year-Old Drives 200 Miles to Meet Up With a Stranger He Met on Snapchat: Cops
An 11-year-old drove himself more than 200 miles to meet a man hed been talking to on Snapchat. He told the officer hed been driving for three hours already but got lost when the GPS app on his dad's tablet stopped working. Police then contacted the boys father, who was in the middle of reporting the boy missing to police. Authorities said they werent able to identify the man the boy was supposed to be meeting because the Snapchat messages had already disappeared, but they kept the tablet to investigate further. RELATED STORIESVirginia Teen With Carnival Cruise Snapchat Handle Gets His Dream VacationCarnival Cruise Line Offers Boy a Free Cruise in Exchange for His Snapchat NameMale Student Pretends to Be Teen Girl Using Snapchat Filter and Nabs Cop Allegedly Seeking Sex
One Colorado school shooting suspect claims he was forced to do it
In the message, McKinney allegedly told him not to come to school. The two suspects are accused of carrying out a mass shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch near Denver in May, killing Kendrick Ray Castillo, 18, and wounding eight others. Following the shooting, Erickson told investigators that McKinney made him do it and tasked him with guarding an exit and telling everyone not to move. Erickson took the two handguns used in the shooting from his parents, according to a law enforcement source. The two students used the middle school entrance because they knew they would be able to get the guns into the school, the affidavit states.
Restaurant chain revives famous 'lost murals' through Snapchat AR
For National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is underway now through mid-October, the chain restaurant El Pollo Loco -- which has locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Louisiana -- is using augmented reality to bring back some of Los Angeles lost murals, as theyre called. (We are) working with our communities to ensure the legacy of our city's great murals endures through digitally restoring lost murals and donating our storefronts as permanent canvases.So what does that mean, exactly? The website provides a list of where exactly these murals are located in L.A. The campaign is expected to last throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15. [READ NEXT: 5 Instant Pot dishes to make for Hispanic Heritage Month | 10 Spanish-speaking TV shows you should be streaming on Netflix | How did Hispanic Heritage Month come to be? ]
11-year-old boy drives alone 3 hours to live with man he met on Snapchat
Carl Court/Getty ImagesCHARLESTON, S.C. - Police in South Carolina say an 11-year-old boy took his brother's car and drove alone for three hours to meet someone he met on Snapchat. Charleston Police spokesman Charles Francis says the boy pulled up to an officer around 12:30 a.m. Monday and said he was lost. Francis says the boy told the officer he was heading to Charleston from 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in Simpsonville to live with a man he met on Snapchat. But the tablet computer lost the GPS signal and the man's address and he couldn't get it back because the Snapchat message had disappeared. Francis says the tablet computer is being analyzed as the investigation continues.
Watch Local 4 News at 4 -- Sept. 24, 2019
DETROIT - Here's what is coming up on Local 4 News at 4:Impeachment movementThere is growing pressure to start impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Snapchat controversyA Detroit police officer will not face charges after an investigation into his alleged insults toward a woman in a Shapchat video. Women's conferenceThe Great Lakes Women's Business council has been meeting for two days in Novi. IHOP HalloweenIHOP is offering a Halloween menu based on the classic Addams Family show. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Arrest made after shooting threat cancels classes in Melvindale-Northern Allen Park for 3 days
MELVINDALE, Mich. - An arrest has been made after a shooting threat against schools in the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park district canceled classes three days this week. The threat against a high school and middle school in the district was made on Snapchat. The Melvindale Police Department didn't provide further details about the arrest or the threat. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Bloomfield Hills High School student investigated after allegedly posting threatening Snapchat
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A Bloomfield Hills High School student allegedly made a threatening Snapchat post, according to BHHS officials. School officials and the Bloomfield Township Police identified the student and investigated the alleged threat Thursday night. The student will remain out of school and off school district property until the investigation is over, according to school officials. Student safety includes the physical and emotional safety of students. Additional resources regarding school safety and security can be found by visiting www.bloomfield.org/safety."
Snapchat unveils redesigned Spectacles sunglasses
(CNN) - Snap isn't giving up on its smart sunglasses.On Tuesday, the Snapchat parent company announced Spectacles 3, the latest version of its video-recording sunglasses now with new 3D effects and an eye-popping price tag. In a video teased on social media, Snapchat teased the new special effects users can add to their "Snaps" with Spectacles. Snap said Spectacles 3 is a limited-edition product, and it will produce less of the new sunglasses than it has in the past. Google is now focusing on offering augmented reality glasses for businesses and Apple is rumored to be developing AR glasses. "The high price and clunky user interface will make most Snapchat users simply look the other way," she said.
Man who allegedly threatened Royal Oak police on Snapchat charged
ROYAL Oak, Mich. - Local 4 has obtained Snapchat video of a man threatening police, fire and emergency medical services in Royal Oak. He thought the video and his threats would disappear, but police found the video and him. Im about to blow, Im about to shoot at the police yall, I am about to shoot at them. Roll the window down, roll the window down! the man can be heard saying in the Snapchat video. Snapchat videos disappear but were told Royal Oak police investigators took months tracking the video down, and identifying Gissental as the man flashing the gun that is not registered to him.
Michigan man accused of blackmailing teen for sexually explicit videos on Snapchat
OLATHE, Kan. - A Michigan man allegedly blackmailed a Kansas teen to get the child to send him sexually explicit videos on Snapchat. Martez Hurst, 22, is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of blackmail after he used the social media app to coerce the victim. According to the Kansas City Star, court documents say Hurst told police he tried to commit similar crimes against about 20 other females. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Snapchat tops 200 million daily users for first time
Snapchat added 13 million daily users in the three months ending in June, ending a long period of lackluster growth and pushing the company's total audience above 200 million daily users for the first time. It's now just short of its initial public offering price. The social media company has been working to right the ship for most of the two years since its initial public offering. In the quarter ending in June, it appears to have moved in that direction. Revenue hit $388 million, up 48% from a year earlier and well above analysts' projections of $360 million.