A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Passes, a social media platform launched by Scale AI co-founder Lucy Guo, alleging the company distributed child pornography. The suit claims that Passes knowingly disseminated and sought to profit from the distribution of pornographic content featuring minors on its platform.
The complaint alleges that Passes “expressly marketed” to creators between 15 to 17 years old, who were allowed to join as part of the platform’s community. OnlyFans model Alice Rosenblum, 17 at the time, is named as the lead plaintiff.
Rosenblum alleges that Alec Celestin and Lani Ginoza, two defendants, encouraged her to upload explicit content on Passes’ internal messaging system, which was marketed to “big spenders” and “whales.” Both Celestin and Ginoza are accused of marketing and selling this explicit content, with Nofhotos, a company run by Celestin, also distributing child pornography through the platform.
The lawsuit seeks damages, injunctive relief, and a jury trial for an undisclosed number of plaintiffs. Passes has denied any wrongdoing, stating that it maintains best-in-class safety and privacy standards and has strict policies against explicit content.
Guo, who co-founded Scale AI, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. However, her spokesperson claims she had no interaction with Rosenblum and that there is no evidence linking Passes or Guo to the prohibited activity. The case highlights concerns about the creator economy and its safety measures for minors.
Source: https://www.inc.com/sam-blum/class-action-complaint-alleges-the-startup-passes-distributes-illicit-content/91154966