‘Dirty Dozen List’ names 12 companies profiting off sexual exploitation

Kik

Kik Messenger, a popular messaging app for young people, made the list due to the presence of sexually graphic content through its group chats, which are open to the public.

Stephany Powell, director of Law Enforcement Training and Survivor Services at NCOSE, said she believed Kik “should be held accountable” for these failures to stop sexually graphic content on its platform.

“Kik has been flagged by the media, law enforcement as a hotbed for grooming, child sexual abuse, pornography, and child sexual abuse material,” said Powell.

“Despite the fact that they have policies banning it, Kik contains severe sexual content. But get this, Kik provides very little safety features and almost no moderation, relying on user reports to catch bad behavior.”

Powell added that this was “especially concerning when so many” Kik users “are children,” noting that all a predatory person needs is “an email address in order to sign up.”