Girl posted a high school graduation video on TikTok — then a Snapchat message from a dormmate led to a lawsuit
In the age of technology, much content from the internet is being misused and even used without the owner's consent. When University of Tennessee student Kaelyn Lunglhofer was in her freshman year, she posted a video on TikTok just for her connections. However, she received a message from a boy in her dorm that immediately creeped her out. From a simple clip on her account, her content was turned into something unimaginable, leading her to file a lawsuit. Reported by WVLT8 on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the woman's story is eye-opening and highlights the need to be aware of safety while using social media.
Lunglhofer received a message from a boy in her dorm on Snapchat out of nowhere. Upon opening the app, she realized it was a video that had been sent to her. When she clicked on it, she was left horrified at the content. She learned that a dating app had allegedly used her video without her knowledge. Her stomach dropped upon seeing her face surfacing on the "nasty, gross hookup app" as an advertisement. Along with her visuals, the voiceover said, "Are you looking for friends with benefits? This app shows you women around you who are looking for some fun. You can video chat with them."
The discovery immediately prompted Lunglhofer to contact her father. After a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, it was found that the app used geo-targeting technology and targeted male audiences for the ad. According to Lunglhofer's representative Abram Pafford, a partner at McGuire Woods, the technology enables the app to target male users who are in the geographical proximity of the person whose video content was stolen. Pafford noted that the company is based offshore and has not yet responded to the lawsuit. The entire ordeal has shaken Lunglhofer, who wonders how much of her content has been shared. "I felt super unsafe. Like, I don't know who's seen it. I don't know what they are saying about me," she exclaimed.
It's unfortunate to find personal information and content being circulated and used by foreign entities without prior permission, but it is even scarier to imagine such companies using geo-targeting that puts the owner of the content at a greater risk. According to Altcraft, any original text, photo, or video is automatically protected by copyright under both US and EU law. The report notes, "Violations can lead to criminal charges against the entity or individual, leading to civil penalties up to $150,000 per work under the US Copyright Act." But for Lunglhofer, it is not about the money. All she wants is for no other teenager to feel unsafe like she did, even if it means she walks away with $0 compensation. Although she has taken a break from social media, it has not led her to stop using it altogether. "I do enjoy doing it, and I don’t want to let a company take that away from me," she noted.