Snapchat update: Why Snapchat has removed Maori tattoo filters?

Snapchat has deleted a feature that allowed users to add traditional Maori tattoos to their faces.

The filters were removed following a public uproar among New Zealand's indigenous Maori population.

Tattoo art is holy to Maoris, and it serves as a vital symbol of the wearer's identity.

The decision followed claims in local media that the filters were spreading on social media.

Radio New Zealand broadcast photographs of Instagram users using effects with titles like "Maori Face Tattoo" and "Maori."

Snap, which controls the Snapchat platform, acknowledged in a statement that the filter and a replica had been removed off their platform.

"It is obvious that we do not allow information that demeans, defames, or promotes discrimination."