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Rihanna blasts Snapchat over ad’s domestic violence joke

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rihanna, seen here in 2016, trashed SnapChat for an ad featured on the app that made fun of dometic violence. The company issued an apology that the singer rejected.

LOS ANGELES >> An ad on Snapchat asking users if they’d rather “Slap Rihanna” or “Punch Chris Brown” has spawned widespread outrage, including from the singer herself.

Rihanna, who Brown was convicted of assaulting when she was his girlfriend in 2009, posted a statement on her Snapchat and Instagram accounts saying the ad intentionally brings shame to domestic violence victims.

A spokesman for the visual-messaging app said in an email today the ad was “disgusting” and a “terrible mistake.” It was for a mobile video game called “Would You Rather,” which is now blocked from advertising on Snapchat.

Rihanna says in a statement that Snapchat can throw away its apology.

Snapchat said most of its advertising is bought through a self-service platform but is subject to review, and it is investigating how the ad got through.

Shares of the company fell more than 3 percent today.

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