- Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon Web Services' encrypted messaging app Wickr Me has become a thriving destination for the exchange of child sexual abuse images, the NBC News reports citing court documents, online communities, law enforcement, and anti-exploitation activists.
- Experts and law enforcement officials alleged Amazon hardly addressed the problem, further encouraging such activities due to lesser chances of getting detected.
- NBC News reviewed the court documents from 72 state and federal child sexual abuse or child pornography prosecutions where the defendant allegedly used Wickr from the last five years in the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
- Also Read: Amazon Chief Addresses Consumer Chief Exit, Risky Bets, Streaming Business, Union and More
- Almost none of the criminal complaints reviewed note cooperation from Wickr unless it was bound to provide information via a search warrant.
- NBC notes that as per two investigating officers and expert claims, individuals frequently used Wickr and other platforms for criminal transactions on the dark web.
- Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter, NBC News found multiple forums, accounts, and blogs soliciting minors, those who have access to them, or those interested in trading child sexual abuse material alongside Wickr screen names.
- Amazon said it is committed to preventing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in every segment of its business, including Wickr.
- Wickr is not the only tech platform that needs to crack down on such illegal content, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children disclosed.
- Price Action: AMZN shares traded lower by 5.62% at $109.67 on the last check Friday.
