Apple (AAPL) is facing a lawsuit from West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey for allegedly failing to prevent child sexual abuse materials from being stored and shared via iOS devices and iCloud services, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.

In 2021, Apple tested its own child sexual abuse material-detection features to remove images and report them to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, but it withdrew the technology after concerns that it could create a back door for government surveillance, according to CNBC.

According to the lawsuit filed in Mason County Circuit Court, the state is seeking statutory and punitive damages and has asked a judge to force Apple to implement more effective measures for the detection of abusive material, according to Reuters.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

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