Snapchat and augmented reality filters go together like peanut butter and jelly—the company unveiled their augmented reality face filters as early as the autumn of 2015. The social media platform has recently come under fire, however, following an investigation by Radio New Zealand, who found a few instances of face filters that resemble the facial tattoos of the indigenous Māori people. Radio New Zealand says that these filters were designed by other users, not Snapchat, and have names like Māori Mask and Māori Face Tattoo.

Tā moko represent the Māori genealogy of the wearer, and are a taonga, or treasure, for New Zealand’s Indigenous people.
Mokonui-ā-rangi Smith, who works out of his studio in west Auckland, New Zealand, prepares his uhi (chisels) prior to creating a traditional Māori tattoo.

The filters prompted renewed questions about the treatment of sacred cultural artefacts on tech platforms, and debate about whether they should receive bolstered legal protections in New Zealand.

Facial tattoos, or moko, have been a part of Maori culture for centuries. They are carved into the skin using chisels in an important ritual, and are used as a means to mark each wearer's unique genealogy and heritage.

Facial patterns are also gendered, with men's tattoos extending from forehead to throat, while women's tattoos usually extend from the lips to the chin.

Snapchat does allow users to submit their own designs for filters, much the same way Instagram does, and lens creators can make a pretty penny for their designs. So while it may be easy for the company to pass the burden of responsibility over problematic filters onto these creators, they do hold the burden of moderating content before it’s released onto the platform.

Tā moko are only intended for Māori. Each is created to be unique to the wearer’s ancestry, which meant multiple social media users applying the same filter compounded the “huge disrespect” caused by the “highly offensive” tools, one analyst said.

Z2u.com provides Cheap Snapchat Account, so we have cheap Snapchat Account for sale at a favorable price. We take every order seriously, no matter how big or small. The majority of Snapchat Account can be delivered instantly, as long as your information is correct. Our professional staff of customer service is ready to solve problems at any time, for your issues from purchasing to delivering.