Twitter repeatedly told a child rape victim that the video of his abuse circulating on their platform did not violate their community guidelines, according to a lawsuit filed on the victim’s behalf by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
The unnamed victim, listed in the lawsuit as John Doe, claims that Twitter allowed the sickening video of his rape – filmed when he was just 13 years old – to accumulate hundreds of thousands of views.
According to the lawsuit, Twitter was forced to eventually reluctantly comply after an agent from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) got involved with the case.
By that time the video had already accumulated over 165,000 views on the platform, many of which came from pedophiles operating on the platform.
Per the New York Post:
Doe’s mother filed two complaints to Twitter reporting the same material and for a week, she also received no response, the suit states.
Finally on Jan. 28, Twitter replied to Doe and said they wouldn’t be taking down the material, which had already racked up over 167,000 views and 2,223 retweets, the suit states.
“Thanks for reaching out. We’ve reviewed the content, and didn’t find a violation of our policies, so no action will be taken at this time,” the response reads, according to the lawsuit.
Breitbart.com reports: The lawsuit further states that Twitter knowingly allows pedophiles to use the platform to exchange material depicting child sex abuse, and profits from their activity, which includes use of the ads system. The lawsuit also alleges that Twitter made money from the video of the victim’s abuse.
The lawsuit was brought by two private law firms and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. It will be heard in the Northern District of California.
