网络世界在过去几年里发生了巨大变化，可谓利弊共存。技术的变革力量重塑了我们的工作、娱乐、学习和社交方式，同时也带来了新的风险，尤其对青少年、年轻人和弱势群体影响更大。其中一个此类威胁是性勒索，一种尤为恶劣的全球性犯罪，已在过去几年间通过数字空间愈演愈烈。

性勒索通常以青少年和年轻人为目标，但老年人也未能幸免。这种犯罪手段涉及欺骗或胁迫他人分享裸照或私密图像。随后，犯罪者会利用这些图像进行勒索。这类威胁主要分为两种形式：一是出于色情目的的性勒索，即胁迫受害者发送更多、尺度更大的私密照片与视频；二是以牟利为目的的性勒索，这是近年出现的新型犯罪变种，犯罪分子会索要钱财或其他有价财物。

最新研究显示，在六个国家/地区的各大在线平台上，今年每五名 13 至 24 岁的用户中就有一名（20%）受到性勒索威胁，其中近一半（49%）曾成为此类欺骗行为的目标。 ¹性勒索可能源于多种数字互动，包括在线分享私密照片和视频，或遭受性诱骗、网络冒充或帐户劫持。

Snap 多年来一直致力于打击性勒索。在正在进行的法律诉讼过程中，一份相关声明曝光，称 Snap 每月受理 1 万起用户提交的性勒索举报。然而，我们注意到，一些评论员在引用这一数据时，并未真正理解 Snap 为打击性勒索所付出的努力，也不了解该数据背后的背景信息。 ²我们认为有必要：提供一些相关的背景信息；提供有关检测、收到的举报以及向当局提交报告的最新情况；并进一步展示 Snap 为应对这一在各类在线平台和服务中对未成年人和成年人都真实存在的威胁所采取的多种措施。

我们今天的重点

首先，我们想强调 Snap 对打击这一具有欺诈性和危害性的犯罪行为的承诺。 我们致力于保护 Snapchat 全体用户；开发并运用技术，主动检测并阻断不法分子；投入资源开展安全科普教育工作，既包括我们自有的项目，也包括推广其他机构的宣传活动； ³同时，我们支持执法机构开展识别和惩处犯罪分子的工作。（下文将详细介绍此项工作。）

除持续严厉打击各类涉性互动及不良内容外，2026 年至今，Snap 全球范围内日均处置约 220 起涉嫌性勒索的违规案例，每月合计约 6,600 起。这些案例既包括 Snap 主动识别出的涉及各年龄段社区成员的事件，也包括用户举报的涉嫌违反《社群指南》的行为。用户通常可通过应用内举报菜单中的专项入口提交举报，该功能是我们 2023 年上线的，旨在鼓励用户举报此类特定侵害行为。外部专家建议设置 “他们泄露了/威胁要泄露我的裸照” 这一举报选项，直白通俗的表述能够让各年龄段用户都易于理解、产生共鸣。用户举报对于各个平台都至关重要，尤其是在私密通讯服务上；它有助于保护整个社区免受不良行为者的侵害。

虽然某些评论员暗示 Snap 的执法行动规模表明该公司做得不够，但这种说法忽略了关键背景。事实是：正是因为 Snap 在发现和打击性勒索及其他形式的性剥削和虐待方面做了大量工作，才呈现出这些数据。当然，我们认为，哪怕只有一起用户遭受性剥削的案件，也是不可接受的。然而，正如我们痛心地指出的那样，这些犯罪，尤其是针对未成年人的，是社会的痼疾，早在互联网出现之前就已存在，而施害者会利用一切可用手段，试图接近目标或潜在受害者。

事实上，不幸的是，无论是在网络世界还是现实世界中，总有一部分人蓄意剥削或伤害他人，任何群体都无法完全幸免。尽管美国法律并未强制要求 Snap 这类企业主动排查根除性剥削相关行为，但 Snap 仍选择主动打击此类违法卑劣行径，正是因为我们对此类恶行深恶痛绝。我们决心让 Snapchat 成为此类非法或违反我们政策行为的“禁区”。

Industry’s efforts 

It’s also important to consider these enforcements in light of industry’s efforts overall. In 2025, the most recent year for which annual, industry-wide data is available, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 21.3M reports of suspected child sexual exploitation and abuse. (NCMEC serves as a clearinghouse for reports of suspected sexual exploitation of those under 18. Snap works with StopNCII to help thwart the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery of individuals aged 18 and older.) Last year, NCMEC said it received 80,000 reports concerning sextortion of a minor, and an average of 137 reports specifically of financial sextortion a day–a 37% increase compared to 2024. A majority of the 21.3M total submissions (21.18M) came from electronic service providers (ESPs), while the remainder (170,000) were made by the general public. More than 2,000 ESPs are registered to report to NCMEC, yet more than 75% of last year’s total number of CyberTips came from just five companies. 

In 2025, Snap submitted approximately 752,000 CyberTips to NCMEC, down from more than 1.17M the year before, making it the seventh most prolific reporter in 2024. That total included approximately 19,000 CyberTips for sextortion, along with more than 86,000 reports for online enticement and grooming (down from nearly 29,000 and 194,000 submissions, respectively, last year). ⁴ The reduction in the number of reports from 2024 coincides with a now two-year effort working with NCMEC and others to improve the value and actionability of our CyberTips. More information on that work can be found here. 

CyberTips are the most common means law enforcement uses to track down child sex offenders. And, while Snap’s enforcement actions represent meaningful progress to combat sextortion and are impactful, they’re a small part of our overall work and commitment to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse.


More on our work

As noted, to help protect Snapchat users and the integrity of our service, we take a number of steps to search for such material. To help identify users whose behavior suggests suspicious or unusual activity, we use our own proactive detection techniques, which are regularly evaluated and refined. When we identify users who appear to be engaged in sextortion or related misconduct, we act quickly to disable their accounts, take steps to prevent them from creating new ones and, where appropriate, report them to authorities.

Through in-app warnings and other tools, we strive to alert our community to potentially suspicious friend requests. We offer sextortion-specific in-app awareness-raising and educational resources, and we routinely add new functionality to our suite of parental-supervision tools known as Family Center. And, last year, we launched an interactive online safety learning program, called The Keys, designed specifically for teens and their families, which includes a dedicated module on sexual extortion. The Keys leverages the “drivers’ education model” whereby teens learn critical skills both in the classroom and behind the wheel. The program, available to all, including non-Snapchat users, offers teens and their caregivers greater awareness of this and other online risks, and suggestions for how to respond if they encounter it.

Going forward 

Eliminating the sextortion risk before it can even surface remains a primary goal, but this is a whole-of-society issue requiring active, ongoing engagement from a range of stakeholders and sectors. We remain open to new strategies and approaches, and welcome the opportunity to work with individuals or groups willing to engage positively and productively to help mitigate online risk, reduce harm, and prevent recurrence – on Snapchat and across the digital ecosystem. Indeed, there are constructive roles for technology companies, government, law enforcement, parents, caregivers, educators, young people themselves – and even authors and commentators. 

— Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety, Snap Inc.