Man is convicted in the US of hacking into more than 500 Snapchat accounts and stealing intimate photos

Executives from YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok were questioned by US senators Richard Drew/AP Photo An Illinois man was sentenced on Tuesday (21) to more than six years in prison after admitting to hacking into the Snapchat accounts of hundreds of women to steal photos of full or partial nudity, which he kept, sold or exchanged on the internet. Kyle Svara, 27, was sentenced to 76 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston after pleading guilty to charges related to an earlier case against a former Northeastern University track coach who paid him to hack into the accounts of college athletes and other women. The sentence was confirmed by a spokesperson for federal prosecutor Leah Foley, responsible for the case against Svara. Svara's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. In court documents, the defense said he feels "deep remorse and shame for his actions." According to lawyers, the crimes occurred during a period of isolation, when he was a student at the University of Illinois, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

According to prosecutors, between May 2020 and February 2021, Svara used anonymous phone numbers obtained online to send text messages to more than 1,500 women, pretending to be part of the support team at Snapchat, a platform operated by Snap. Hundreds of victims responded to phishing messages sent by Svara with security codes that allowed him to access their Snapchat accounts. According to prosecutors, he managed to hack into the accounts of at least 517 women. The scheme allowed him to access full or partial nude photos stored on the accounts of at least 59 women, according to prosecutors. In addition to keeping the photos for himself, Svara advertised his account hacking services on the internet. According to prosecutors, he received US$50 (R$253.90) from former Northeastern University coach Steve Waithe to hack into the accounts of women, including former athletes he had coached, and steal images of them. Waithe was sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison for tricking young women into sending him intimate photos or stealing those images. According to prosecutors, he claimed at least 56 victims across the country. Svara pleaded guilty in February to charges of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. He also admitted to making a false statement to authorities by stating that he had no interest in child pornography. Investigators found this type of material in his online accounts. Was there a leaked nude? Practice is a crime; know what to do Have intimate photos been leaked? Find out how to gather evidence, report it and ask for the content to be removed. The case occurred in the United States, but similar situations are also punished in Brazil. The dissemination of intimate photos without consent is a crime and can result in imprisonment and the payment of compensation to the victims. How to send nudes safely Gabriel Wesley Marques Santos / arte g1 Is it possible to delete 100% of images from the internet? Not all platforms offer tools to remove this type of content. As g1 showed, when the case reaches the courts, orders can be issued for social networks and other services to remove the images from the air. However, the victim themselves can also request removal directly from the platforms: Google: the request can be made using this form. If the victim is a minor, the company requires a legal guardian to make the request and prove that they have authorization to act on their behalf. X: The removal request can be made using this form. Although Women's Police Stations tend to have teams that are better prepared to welcome victims of this type of crime, recording the incident and reporting it can be done at any police station. See how to report nude exhibition Gabriel Wesley Marques Santos / arte g1 *With information from Reuters news agency

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