Lifetouch reacts to Epstein documents controversy, Leon Black link as school abandons class photo plan; ‘never offered’

Lifetouch’s name appears in document The FBI’s title is “Electronic Communications.” A table with multiple entries in the document says “LIFETOUCH NSS ONLINE P EDEN PRAIRIE MN”. Notably, Lifetouch was not mentioned directly in Epstein’s communications. The Justice Department has made clear that mere mention in the Epstein documents does not amount to misconduct.

Lifetouch, in its statement It also clarified: “Lifetouch is not named in Epstein’s documents. There is no allegation in these documents that Lifetouch itself engaged in any illegal activity, or used student photos to conduct any illegal activity.”

However, the company remains at the center of controversy due to Lifetouch’s ties to Leon Black. These links are not direct. Lifetouch acquired by Shutterfly, owned by Apollo Global Management, whose former CEO is a billionaire Leon Black. Black is mentioned multiple times in Epstein’s dossier. Emails show that Epstein’s associates arranged meetings between 2010 and 2017 between him and Black. He was also mentioned in an email between FBI employees. The email said one person “alleges that Epstein asked her to massage Blake while he was naked, and another alleges that another woman massaged Blake and then he asked her to perform oral sex.”

ALSO READ | What is “Five Nights at Epstein”? The popularity of new game ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ worries parents; ‘disturbing’

Concerns about Lifetouch spread through social media posts. “Photos of your children are being uploaded to a database owned by pedophiles,” one person wrote on X, which has received more than 670,000 views at the time of writing.

Another added, “If you’re a parent, this should whet your appetite! Every year, millions of families in America proudly display their children’s school photos. On the refrigerator, in frames. Sent to grandparents and relatives across the country. But most parents are never told… These school photos are taken by Lifetouch, the largest school photography company in the United States. Lifetouch is owned by Shutterfly. Shutterfly was acquired by Apollo Global Management. Apollo Global Management is owned by Leon Co-founded by Mr. Blake – the name appears in Epstein’s files, meaning millions of images of children are uploaded to the database every year by people associated with Epstein.”

As of this writing, the article has been viewed 1.4 million times.

Naturally, these concerns translate into real-world actions. Reports say East Texas schools have abandoned using Lifetouch to capture student photos. The Herald reports that the Box Elder School District Utah Responding to concerns about the privacy of Lifetouch photos.

Meanwhile, the company’s current CEO issued a statement intending to put the matter to rest.

Referring to Leon Black’s link, the statement added, “Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch, and therefore no one employed by Apollo had access to any student images.”