Social media firms can't be let 'off the hook' for deadly sextortion of kids: Eby
CTV
Premier David Eby says social media companies can't be let “off the hook” after two British Columbia teens fell victim to online sextortion scams and died by suicide in the past year.
Premier David Eby says social media companies can't be let “off the hook” after two British Columbia teens fell victim to online sextortion scams and died by suicide in the past year.
“We are going to take action against them for allowing this to happen,” he said Wednesday.
Eby's comments came one day after Surrey RCMP announced a man in Nigeria had been arrested and charged there in one of those cases following a lengthy international investigation.
They did not confirm the name of the victim, but said his “sudden” death last February led to the discovery he had been a victim of “financial sextortion.”
Police and advocates warn that the speed of instant messaging on social media required an extra level of vigilance from children and their parents.
Mounties told reporters the online interaction between the Surrey boy and the suspect in Nigeria lasted only minutes.
Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in an interview Wednesday that the teen was exploited on Instagram and Snapchat.
