Snapchat settles case on lack of privacy

Snapchat’s newest update brought big changes to the app, which upset some, but privacy concerns have worried many of the app’s users.

Snapchat is one of the most utilized forms of communication at Cedar Falls High School. Students are seen all over the school snapping pictures (selfies) to send to their friends. One of the biggest marketing claims of Snapchat is that pictures disappear forever after they are seen by the recipient. The company claims privacy settings assure users that once a picture is seen, it will be deleted forever.
However, some using Snapchat find ways to preserve the briefly photo messages. Recipients can take a screenshot of the picture and the sender will receive a notification of the action. Many new apps also started popping up that save pictures and videos automatically without giving the sender a notification.
But after a settlement last week, it turns out that even beyond the assistance of screenshots and apps, Snapchat may not be so private after all. The app maker settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission that it deceived customers on several levels. The app wasn’t totally secure, and people were able to save and possess pictures that others that had disappeared into the Snapchat universe with millions of other selfies, selfies with dogs, group selfies, pet pictures and the like.
Not only was the privacy policy violated in images being possessed, but Snapchat also spied on its users and copied their entire contact list and possibly accessed other personal information. The app was exposed when hackers stole information from over four and a half million users. Since the FTC took action, the privacy policy has been updated and Snapchat has received 20 years of probation where an independent auditor is allowed to come in at any time and review the app.
Most of the time, Snapchat is used as a simple form of communication to harmlessly poke fun at a friend who took a funny picture or gossip about who has recently popped up in someone’s best friend list. Nevertheless, it has become an integral part of being a student in Cedar Falls. Even though it seems like all fun and games, users will still have to be very careful with what they send out because just like anything else, if it ends up in the wrong hands, trouble could follow.