Two messaging apps are being used by ISIS to sell abducted and abused girls and women as sex slaves because of their encryption capabilities that ensure a user's privacy, the
Associated Press reports.
The apps, Telegram and WhatsApp, are owned by Facebook, and their grisly misuse — including allowing terrorists to trade contraband — can slip through oversight at the the tech firms unless they are reported,
one spokesman tells the Huffington Post.
In one example, the AP reports it viewed an Arabic ad on Telegram that said the seller wanted $12,500 for a 12-year-old girl, and that the shocking solicitation appeared on an encrypted conversation along with ads for kittens, weapons and tactical gear.
The AP said an activist with the Yazidi community, whose women and girls have been abducted by ISIS militants, shared the information with the wire service.
In addition, AP reports it viewed an ad on WhatsApp for a mother with a 3-year-old and a 7-month-old, with a price of $3,700, with a posting stating, "She wants her owner to sell her."
"We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and disable accounts when provided with evidence of activity that violates our terms," a representative for WhatsApp tells the Huffington Post.
"We encourage people to use our reporting tools if they encounter this type of behavior."
Telegram spokesman Markus Ra tells the AP its app is "extremely popular in the Middle East, among other regions."
"This, unfortunately, includes the more marginal elements and the broadest law-abiding masses alike," Ra said.
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