Snapchat allowing drug dealers to operate openly on platform, says Danish research body

Social media platform also accused of failing to filter out obvious key usernames like ‘coke’, ‘weed’ and ‘molly’

Snapchat has been accused of leaving an “overwhelming number” of drug dealers to openly operate on Snapchat, making it easy for children to buy substances including cocaine, opioids and MDMA, by a Danish research organisation.

The social media platform has said it proactively uses technology to filter out profiles selling drugs. But research by Digitalt Ansvar (Digital Accountability), a Danish research organisation that promotes responsible digital development, has found evidence of a failure to moderate drug-related language in usernames. It also accused Snapchat of failing to respond adequately to reports of profiles openly selling drugs.