{"id":35915,"date":"2024-06-06T01:42:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/news\/mother-hits-out-at-meta-over-sextortion-death-data-delay\/"},"modified":"2024-06-06T01:42:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:42:20","slug":"mother-hits-out-at-meta-over-sextortion-death-data-delay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/news\/mother-hits-out-at-meta-over-sextortion-death-data-delay\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother hits out at Meta over sextortion death data delay"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"RosRos Dowey<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Murray Dowey took his own life aged 16<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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The mother of a teenager who ended his life after becoming the victim of a sextortion gang on Instagram says Meta has failed to hand over vital data which could assist the investigation into his death.<\/p>\n

Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, was 16 when he died last December.<\/p>\n

Murray\u2019s mother, Ros Dowey, told BBC News that Meta, which owns Instagram, had not yet provided the information from Murray\u2019s account despite a request from Police Scotland and a court order. <\/p>\n

Meta said its thoughts were with the family and that it was co-operating with the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n

Murray died by suicide after he was tricked into sending compromising pictures by criminals posing as a girl on Instagram.<\/p>\n

Ros Dowey told BBC News: \u201cInstagram still have not released the vital data relating to the criminal investigation into his death that Police Scotland first asked for in January\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said the US Department of Justice obtained a court order requesting the data on 1 May 2024, but there has yet to be a response from Meta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mrs Dowey said Meta was not doing \u201cnearly enough to safeguard and protect our children when they use their platforms\u201d.<\/p>\n

She accused the firm of \u201cunforgivable behaviour\u201d by \u201chindering the investigation\u201d and \u201cputting the lives of other children at risk\u201d.<\/p>\n

And she said the company appeared unwilling \u201cto co-operate with international law enforcement agencies when things go horribly wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many more children might the perpetrator that drove Murray to take his own life have tormented since Murray died?” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘Sort this out’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Mrs Dowey has made a direct appeal to former Lib Dem leader and now Meta president of global affairs Sir Nick Clegg to \u201csort this out\u201d.<\/p>\n

A Meta spokesperson told BBC News: \u201cOur thoughts are with the Dowey family during this difficult time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in touch with the relevant authorities about this case and are co-operating fully.<\/p>\n

“For legal reasons we are not able to comment further.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said inquiries to establish the circumstances leading up to Murray’s death were continuing. <\/p>\n

Sextortion often involves victims being sent a nude picture before being invited to send their own in return – only to then receive threats that the image will be shared publicly unless they meet the blackmailer’s demands.<\/p>\n

A BBC investigation previously found criminals are selling guides on social media<\/a> on how to carry out sextortion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Criminals were found to be using social media to sell guides<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Paul Raffile, an intelligence analyst and expert on sextortion based in the US, said Meta was \u201cdropping the ball\u201d.<\/p>\n

He claimed the company has emergency law enforcement response teams who, especially in the case of the death of a child, should be able to provide information within hours or days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Other cases<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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He said: \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time Meta has failed to co-operate with law enforcement following a teen suicide from sextortion that has occurred on their platform\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2022, he claims Meta failed to respond to a request from US Police for data on accounts belonging to teenager Jordan DeMay.<\/p>\n

Jordan from Michigan was 17 when he ended his own life after falling victim to a sextortion gang.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen police finally obtained access to the data, they found that the same scammers had exploited and blackmailed other children,” Mr Raffile said.<\/p>\n

Two brothers have now been extradited from Nigeria to the US to face trial.<\/p>\n

Authorities in Nigeria are also involved in the investigation into Murray\u2019s death but his mother described progress as \u201cpainfully slow\u201d.<\/p>\n

Describing the criminals who blackmailed her son she said: “They’ve totally destroyed our family\u201d.<\/p>\n

She described her 16-year-old son as a “lovely boy” who had the “best sense of humour”.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a family we are losing hope that we are going to see any justice for Murray,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n