Rihanna accuses Snapchat of “shaming” domestic violence victims, causes share drop

Rihanna has accused Snapchat of “intentionally bring[ing] shame” to domestic violence victims after an advert that ran on the platform appeared to reference Chris Browns conviction for assaulting the singer in 2009 while they were dating.

The ad, which was for a game, asked users if they would “rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown”. After the ad was brought to her attention, Rihanna posted a lengthy comment on an Instagram Story, saying she was “trying to figure out what the point was with this mess”.

Snap has apologised for the advert, saying that it “should never have appeared on our service” and that the company is investigating how it made it through the review process. However, in the wake of Rihannas comments, the firms share price dropped by almost five per cent.

Its not the first time Snaps shares have been impacted by celebrity comments. Just last month, Kylie Jenner wiped $1.3bn (£931m) off the firms value by tweeting that she no longer regularly used the platform.

“This isnt about my personal feelings, cause I dont have much of them… but all the women, children and men that have been victims of DV in the past and especially the ones who havent made it out yet,” wrote Rihanna in her statement on Instagram. “You let us down! Shame on you. Throw the whole app-ology away.”