Snapchat - How Much Privacy Can You Reasonably Expect?

Snapchat is by far my favorite social media platform. Though the security can cause an issue; nonetheless, users have to take responsibility for their actions and what is being sent. Sending anything on any platform should be taken with caution. I don't expect a higher level of privacy because I treat Snapchat with the same conditions and personal guidelines as I do with any other platform. I understand how Snapchat can seem more private when compared to text or e-mail but no matter what anything that is being sent through devices or via the Internet should always be considered with caution. 

I love Snapchat, it is a ot of fun, but I dont think it gives people privacy, there is app out there can download the snapchat stories.

My question is, what do you think of  snapchat in-bond ads?  instead of sending out snap ads to customers, brands can build their own snap channel for people to watch 

First off, I do use Snapchat. It's a fun silly way to connect with friends. With that being said, yes I send pictures I wouldn't post on social media that involve a lot of crossed eyes and double chins. However, I aim to send photos that if they did end up on such social media it would be embarassing and a good laugh for my friends, but it wouldn't ruin my reputation personally or professionally. I think that while snapchat offers a bit more privacy it should still be treated as any other form of communication. In my opinion you shouldn't send anything that you wouldn't want your parents or boss to see. You can never be too careful, regardless of privacy policies.  

Snapshot is a popular way for people to keep information nowadays, but just as the blog says, most people are not fully aware of the security issues that are linked to it. I personally do not use Snapchat that often, and I don't think it could do as well as e-mail service in privacy.

I do use snapchat, but I know it's a goofy app, so I think I always knew that there wasn't secure amount of privacy. Especially because it's so easy to take screenshots, so there's a possiblity that way more people will share it than i expect. 

When I first heard about Snapchat I thought it was a clever idea. There are those moments when we might want to make a face or a gesture and then have it disappear. Early on, I sent a Snapchat that I thought was pretty funny. I was naive enough to think that the recipient would see it and then it would vanish. The key consideration to sending it was that it would vanish. My recipient, however, took a screenshot and then posted it on Facebook. I'm slowly giving in to the idea that soon I won't be able to "think" anything without the risk of seeing or hearing it somewhere. Is there privacy left anywhere? 

I had similar experience with google+. I am a Google fan, I have a google phone, a google laptop and a google tablet. I even keep use Chrome as a my only browser for many years, even Google is blocked in China. But Goggle+ is the only thing really pissed me off. 1 year ago, I had my first smart phone, a Moto X. I took many photos with my parents and other relatives, and I only saved them as private in my phone. However few months later, I found my Google+ received some wired comments about some photo posts. I suddendly realised that Google phone automatically saved and published my photos to Google + as backup! I understand I might not entirely understand the auto backup feature, but this setting really got me in trouble. 

Personaly, I do not use snapchat, and I do not have it, even though they had a great Ad video in their website. As you mentioned, it is lack privacy, this app not like instagram, just share image. This can send messgae, video etc, so it mean there will be record in this app. Like icould, you do not know your private information will be or can be share to public. No one want to take this risk.

I do not use Snapchat because I am not interested in. I saw some friedns use snapchat with their people but I think that snapchat does not have high level of privacy. If people use it with only their family or friends, it is not a problem but sometimes, people can feel and experience that their privacies are lost from snapchat. Many people would like to use Social media but they also want their own space, privacy. Thus, I believe that snapchat is not proper as social media and if its privacy is stronger than now, it will be great social media with any pressure.

I do have a snapchat, but i rarely ever use it to send pictures of me or anything surroundings to friends.  I only go on to see what my friends are sending me to take a look at.  Usually the snapchats i recieve from my friends are usually funny.  Snapchat says it deletes all of the photos but once its out there, you can always find it.  I find that it is more likely to be more secure compared to texting or email but still not 100% secure.

I don't use Snapchats because, as you mentioned, I don't think it provides a higher level of privacy that people can have different ways to capture those photos. I think once you share something out, no matter how many measures you have taken to protect the privacy, there will always be a record and the risk of being leaked out still exists. Therefore, Snapchats do not stand out from other social media like instagram in my point of view. 

Honestly, what is privacy anymore? With all the leeked photos and other footage that makes its way onto public television, newsrooms and the internet nowadays, it appears as if nothing is sacred in the minds of those who somehow hack and share. Google knows what you have been online searching for lately, and tailors the ads on the side of your webpage as such. Random computer techs can hack a franchises secured website and take customers credit card information. And personal photos that were sent via text and deleted can still be recovered with iCloud. With this increasing lack of privacy engulfing our society, people shouldn't be surpised to find out that even something that claims to be private, has a more than likely chance it truly is not.

I do use snapchat but never for anything I wouldn't want someone else to see. Not only am I very careful about what I send and who I send it to, I am also very aware of who is around me and potentially looking over my shoulder when I am opening a new picture or video. I definitely do not expect a higher level of privacy on some random app that everyone's downloading because it's a trend, created by someone I've never heard of with intentions that I am unaware of. I think that everyone just assumes it is 'safe' because it is so popular and took the social networking world by storm. I 100% would advise caution to people new to the app and returning users; you can't trust everything you hear and/or read. 

This is a good reason to not reinstall my snapchat app. Before deleting it, I used it every now and then to capture moments worth sharing with others. From the beginning, I used snapchat with caution, knowing that anything that I send could instantly be screenshotted and saved instantly. Although it may seem that pictures are immediately being deleted and gone forever, they are not. I think that anyone using any social media should avoid sending anything that they would consider private.

I don't think you can really keep any electric messaging or social media private.  People can screenshot your snapchat so they can save it to their camera roll.  Although you can see they took a screenshot, there is really nothing else you can do about it to keep that picture from leaking.  I do use snapchat.  But I do not expect a high level of privacy, nor a low.  I would say I use it with the same amount of caution as all other social media.

I have a Snapchat account and tend to use it a lot. I do not use it so much in a way of communication or having a conversation with someone, but rather for sharing pictures and videos with freinds. With using this application, I am aware that you can send a picture out and have the option to choose the amount of seconds that the receiving participant can view it for. I was also aware that there are secondary ways for people to save the photo or message, like taking a screenshot of it or using someone elses phone to capture what is being sent. Which brings up your point of, how much privacy can you really expect from electronic messaging? In my opinion, I feel as if everyone using the application should be fully aware of how their privacy can become compromised before using it and if you do not want what you are sending to be shared or exposed to other people, then you probably should not send it at all. If you do decide to, then that is a risk that you are choosing to take and not the blame of the application. 

I have a Snapchat account and use it rather frequently. Upon getting it, I always knew Snapchat headquarters could potentially have access to any and all that I send. Also, I understood that people I sent my Snapchats to could potentially screenshot them. Now that there is a replay option, it allows a more likely chance for someone to screenshot your Snapchat. However, even with all of that being said my opinion on it all is fairly simple. Why would you send something you did not want people to see or leak? I have never and would never send anyone a Snapchat, email, text, etc. of anything I would feel uncomfortable having leaked. My Snapchats consist of mostly me making funny faces, fun pictures of nights out, tailgates, and those around me. My advice? Don't send something out you wouldn't want someone to have access to at a later date.

I have a Snapchat account but I barely use it recently. Snapchat is not unlike text message so many people are using it in these days. I believe many people are using Snapchat, texting, tweeting, Instagram ect. I'm worried that many people are losing out their time for development themselves. I also I agree with this post because as increasing of social networking brought many problems not only privacy. I think that Snapchat has claimed more privacy than other social media so people should be careful of what we are sending to others. 

Until recently I was an avid Snapchat user and I honestly knew that it was impossible for all of my information to be deleted permanently. I think the problem not only lies within snapchat but the majority (maybe all) of the social media websites/apps. As a user of many of these sites, I wish there was a way one could trust the validity of each networks privacy claims. The sites/apps have a huge influx of users and information that get stored at one point in time on the developing company's servers. Therefore as the "old" saying goes, "don't put anything in there, that you wouldn't like others to see." It seems to me that the billion dollar idea these days would be to develop a site/app that can and will protect everyone's information without recourse. I believe that if one of these apps/sites comes around, people would delve into it and include it in their lives much more than something similar to what we have now. 

It seems like the whole idea of snapchat is counterintuitive. They claim that your photos disappear, but I've been taught again and again that anything you send out there, into the web or cloud or whatever, will ALWAYS be out there in some form or another. I don't have a snapchat although I've seen many friends using it. It seems to me that if you decide to use snapchat to only capture content that you wouldn't mind being "somewhere out there" anyways then use it. It's the users responsibility in this age of data collection to think ahead and reconsider what information they want online. But, consider who you're sending the content to as well. Scandals don't start because the company sees your inappropriate photo and then shares it online, companies just want the bulk data that they can use to make money. It's the recipient's responsibility, in any situation, to responsibly and respectfully handle what you send them.

Aside from that, snapchat allowes you to take screenshots of all the photos! And, even if the sender is notified when this occurs, this feature inherently negates any ephemerality from the snapchat process.

My opinion: have fun with it, but not too much.

I have snapchat but I barely use it. To be honest I just dont see myself communicating much with photos and videos and privacy is a big concern. Do I want to share intimate moments of photos and videos with just about anybody? I guess it depends. But I still find text messaging to be more effective. However, there are friends who share the most mundane day to day stuff that can be somewhat dull and repetitive. There is also an issue of whether they share it with others or open a snap in a crowded room, but that is less of a concern than just a need of whether I want to share pictures and videos with people. I've yet to message anyone back with snap chat and I dont think I'll be doing it in the future. 

I HAVE NEVER AND WILL NEVER USE SNAPCHAT! I always felt that Snapchat was a false advertiser. In my opinion, anything being sent over the waves of digital messaging, electronically, or in any technlogical way whatsoever is not and will never be private! Its impossible if you ask me. It is ridiculous to think that in this say in time that anything you send or have in your phone for that matter is completely private. I mean they pulled Kwame's text messages from YEARS prior for a federal court case! Come on people! The government has been watching and willl continue to watch everything we do from hear on out. If they wanted to, they hack into any piece of electronic thing you own and take whatever data you have on it, computers, phones, tablets, ipods etc. I mean, what do you think WIFI is? Especially created just for you to surf the web???! And the government are the good guys if you ask me, let's not even stop to think about the crazy geniuses that roam the world who could hack our servers and belongings before we could blink good if they wanted to. Call me a conspirator and I'll call you crazy for not standing behind me. Bottom line is, if you don;t want it to come back to haunt you, don't send it!

I do use Snapchat, however, I do not expect it to have higher security or privacy even if it claims my snaps are automatically deleted.  I use it with extreme caution as I treat it like posting to the internet or sending texts, messages, etc.  I follow the principle that once you post something, send a message, etc. you can't get it back or erase it.  This thought lingers in my head before I post anything, and always double check that it is not something negative that could come back to hurt me.  When Snapchat rolled around claiming my snaps would be deleted after they were viewed I was instantly skeptical.  As you mentioned it is very easy to take a screenshot of a snap and thus have it available forever and easy to exploit.  I agree completely with the FTC and view snapchats claims to privacy as misleading. I feel snapchat simply played off people's desire to send daring pics and videos without consequences and provided them a flaud app to do so.

I am a Snapchat user but I'd like to think of myself as a cautious one! I think that any communication that takes place with a channel other than private face to face conversation leads to possible security breaches and third party viewing. Securing my chats takes a conscious attempt with all of the convenient chatting devices available but it's a must in today's social world. Snapchat may have claimed more privacy than it actually practices but any educated user should figure that when using an electronic chatting device, the risks are high.  The level of privacy one should expect with electronic messaging should be very low and the things we Snapchat should be thought out carefully.  

I haven’t thought twice about using Snapchat. I never found a use to send random pictures to people when you can do that on several other social media platforms. Plus, I’ve noticed how anytime a new social media tool comes out; some people ruin it by making it inappropriate. With that being said, I just didn’t want to bother with a media medium that could potentially turn out to be a negative experience. Unfortunately, people are too comfortable with the internet. Many believe that they have control over what they add and remove onto the worldwide web. I think because of the false sense of security, some people have let their guard down and believe that they are impervious to violating web etiquette as long as they can “delete it and forget it.” I learned that companies do deep background checks on potential employees and I will not place myself into a bad predicament that could come back to haunt me later in life just for the sake of a few laughs from friends. 

When Snapchat first came out, I used it all the time and it became one of my main sources of communication with my friends. It eventually faded for a while and recently it has slowly gained a spot in my life again. I now use Snapchat on a daily basis and I have never once believed their privacy policy. I am a firm believer that nothing you post or send to someone over the Internet or through text message is completely private and that whatever you share through social media is now public information and can be used in any way possible.  Therefore, I am always very careful what I send to my friends through Snapchat and I would never send anything that could potentially come back to harm me in any way. I encourage others to also take more caution with social media platforms and not always believe everything they hear about how “private” and “secure” their account is because chances are it’s not and someone, somewhere has access to all your content.

Personally I do use Snapchat, but not that often. I usually receive far more Snapchat’s then I send out or respond to. Something about sending pictures to mass amounts of people at one time gives me the feeling that my online privacy is being taken away from me without me even knowing. I have always wondered where exactly and to whom exactly these pictures go to and what becomes of them even after the time limit that I have set is over. While I’d like to believe that the integrity of Snapchat, which is marketed as a device that creates a sense of privacy between the sender and end receiver of the picture or video, I am not quite sure if this is actually the case. I often am careful about the content that I send out via Snapchat, as there is no definitive answer for exactly how private my information truly is.

I often receive information whether it is a picture or video from my friends and even my family that I would deem as somewhat inappropriate or dangerous if it got into the wrong hands. That is why I am very careful about what I allow on social media platforms as well as what exactly I send out on Snapchat. I also try to tell my friends that they should be careful about what they allow on social media, as it can be damaging information that can be used against them in the future if it is seen in a negative light.

Chad M. Davis

I do use snapchat. I actually deleted it during the semester for finals week because I used it so often and continued to check it. I've since recreated my account. Personally, I would assume a higher level of privacy on snapchat versus email or texting. The idea behind snapchat is the privacy, so that is what I expect. Whether or not that is the case, I'd have to really think about it. I've been a victim of the screenshot many times, but I suppose I just take that as part of the risky game of snapchat. It's a gamble everytime to whether or not your images are safe. If people viewed it more like a game for privacy, rather than a promise, they would be more satisfied with what snapchat actually offers.

I think what it really comes down to is not sending things via the internet unless you are okay with them floating around on another devices, not just your own. While this seems like advice from someone 60+, it really does make sense for everyone. I'm more comfortable putting more of myself out on the internet because I grew up with it; it is a part of who I am and how I interact with people. While, other people prefer not to even have a facebook profile picture.

I use snapchat all the time. I would say I might use snapchat more than I text. I do expect it to have a higher level of privacy compared to say a text message because Snapchat started and i think got big because of the fact that they started their app saying that the pictures and videos could only be since for a certain number of seconds then they disappear forever. I think people liked that concept. Personally it is not a big deal to me because I dont think i send anything bad enough that I would care if people screenshot my snapchats and save them. 

I have to admit that I use Snapchat obsessively.  In the early days of Snapchat it was expected to be able to send photos and have them be gone forever.  Snapchat closed the picture when a screenshot was attempted and it made users feel sort of safe.  Now, however, Snapchat has given up the privacy game and has become an app used for sharing experiences, sending selfies, and even texting.  Snapchat no longer closes when screenshots are attempted and even allows for a replay of the Snapchat that was sent.  I think this is a much better use of this app.  I have gotten into the habit of using Snapchat as texting with pictures.  Snapchat lets you show people what you are doing while sending them a quick message.  This is great when you want to share something that is not important or cool enough to post on facebook forever, but is still more interesting than a text.  I think most users of Snapchat understand the privacy is gone and are, for the most part, okay with it.  At the end of the day, each user chooses who they send their content to, and the responsibility of privacy should rest upon them.

To be honest, I've never had the interest of using a social network such as Snapchat. I find most newer social networks as niches or a complete waste of time. If someone wants to send something private nowadays it's better to do it in person, by letter, or by email. Proper internet ettiquette is to always tread lightly on the internet so something emabarrassing won't come back to hurt you. I think that because of how the internet is now a stage for sharing, people are using the internet blindly. Also many people devote too much faith into technology. Many people know nothing important of technology and people just expect things to work. Naive dispositions really hurt people, but you do have to wise up one day. I don't really feel sorry for people who get embarrassed or run into scandals because of the internet. Like the internet itself, just use anything with caution. 

I have Snapchat installed on my phone, but use it rare occasions. I downloaded the app last year before it got really popular, and used it with a few of my friends that also had it.

I can’t say I’m surprised about the lawsuit because nothing is ever totally erased in the Internet world. There are always ways around an app’s limitations. Using the app also comes with personal responsibility. The level of privacy Snapchat has doesn’t bother me because I never send anything that I would want to get out. You never know who exactly is on the other side of the phone, and if people don’t want something to be released, they shouldn’t send it in the first place. However, in societies’ defense, I believe Snapchat’s claims were false, given the option to screenshot the pictures, and the chance another device is recording the picture. Snapchat should not have said that the photos and videos would be permanently deleted, because that’s never true.

With that being said, I only use Snapchat to show my friends something exciting that I’m doing, or something funny that I saw. My friends Snapchat me all the time, and I’m not one to respond to it. Most of the time I just forget that it’s there and sometimes think back and say, “I should’ve snapped that!”. 

I use Snapchat all the time. It's an easy and fast way to show you friends how your day is going. I treat it like a mini-Instagram. Instead of posting every moment of your life to Instagram, you can just snap small parts of your day to your friends to show them all the fun stuff you're doing.

I think it should be treated like any other social media. What you post is what you should expect the world to see. If you don't want your grandma seeing something, you probably shouldn't be sharing it through any sort of savable medium. I think everything you post on social media should be filtered to what you wouldn't mind showing and explaining to your grandmother. If something is bothering you so much that you have to show somebody something, I think you should just call or see that person face to face. Otherwise, I don't think anybody should expect any sort of privacy when it comes to telecommunications. 

I have a Snapchat and have been using it for about 2 years. I am a pretty bad friend to have on Snapchat because I rarely "Snap" back. I personally am not a fan of taking selfies of myself and I think that has what Snapchat has come down to. Personally, I would use the same caution than I would for any kind of media sharing or picture sharing. Anything that goes through satelites is stuck somewhere. It is way to easy to screenshot photos and videos through Snapchat and I would never send anything I wouldn't want people seeing forever. When Snapchat came out I think there was a huge excitment because it was the new age of "sexting" with no regrets. But now I think people are now realizing the harsh reality, nothing over the internet or through phones are ever disposable.

Personally, I do use Snapchat and like it, but I have heard a lot of negative comments about it too. I do love the fact that it is a personal "quick picture" app to share with your friends and now you can create your own "snapchat stories". But, I do think that you cannot expect a high level of privacy from this app. People are able to take screenshots, and anyone who is with you can easily see what you are looking at. Especially now that this information has come out that pictures, videos, etc are not actually deleted but just hidden is extremely misleading and controversial from their original statement. When using such an app, or any social media app, you should always be mindful of what you post since in this case the original information is misleading and you don't want it coming back to you in a negative way. I don't think with any kind of electronic messaging you can really expect much privacy. You are able to decide what you want to post/send so you shold always be cautious when doing any kind of electronic messaging. 

I’ve never used Snapchat because of my understanding of digital privacy.  My belief was that Snapchat’s claim to privacy was more of a whimsical feature of the application rather than a trusted site to send confidential information.  I don’t think that a majority of the users were naive to think that pictures were private. Younger friends of mind who advised me of the application brought me “in the know” as to how younger people use it.  It seems as though kids figured out how to retrieve and screenshot pictures long before the FTC took action.

Snapchat is like the case of the disappearing ink.  Does the ink really disappear? Well, kind of.  Truth is, under the right conditions, the writing can reappear.  Individual’s that believed pictures on Snapchat were kept private may have thought so due to false advertising, but every service should be used with caution.  Even if we couldn’t screenshot an image, the information still exists.  From my experience in the legal field, if you don't have record or can't retrieve an electronic message, a court subpoena can obtain messages and images easily.  So, why would we expect a great amount of privacy from electronic messaging?  

I indeed use the Snapchat app on my phone, and I do enjoy sending and receiving silly pictures and "stories" with my friends. However, as an educated person in today's technology-driven society, I would never share anything on there that could potentially harm my reputation or chances of being employed in the future. There have been times when I've received Snapchats of people drunkenly vandalizing property or doing drugs, and every time I shake my head. I think that naive users of the app are the real ones at fault. It's the same way as e-mails, text messages and everything else. Once it has been put out there, it can always be recovered in some way. I don't expect any additional privary from Snapchat. People need to be aware of what they say, how they act and what they send whether it's in real life, from behind a computer or from their iPhone. 

When I first downloaded Snapchat to my phone last year, I was excited about the idea of being able to send anything I wanted to my friends without anybody else's eyes seeing it.  I quickly learned that this is not the case.  Many younger people forget that once you send something out over social media, even on Snapchat, there is no taking it back.  Anybody can easily screenshot a picture you send, or record a video that you believe is "private."  There are popular Twitter accounts that are followed by thousands of people, of embarrassing Snapchats that have been screen-shot and shared through the social media universe.  I now rarely send Snapchats out, and when I do, they are only of things that I would not mind being shared out with others.  Some of the Snapchats that I receive from my friends that I follow shock me at how open and vulgar they sometimes are.  I have received pictures and videso of college students taking shots of alcohol or being obviously highly intoxicated.  It makes me wonder if these friends realize how many people have the capabilities of seeing these actions, especially with Snapchat’s new “Snapchat story” feature, which allows you to send a picture or video to all of your followers.  Although Snapchat’s popularity has come from its privacy, nothing that gets sent out is ever truly private.  It is important that the younger generation realizes that no matter what the outlet, any pair of eyes can see what you send out through social media.. 

Yes I use the Snapchat app. I use it frequently and believe that it has some level of privacy. Snapchat is a fun way to communicate and I believe that people enjoy it for the instant photos it captures. I would not say it has a high-level of privacy as it claims. Snapchat is digital messaging and should be used in caution as any other form of digital messaging. The people who created the app may believe that they set it up to have a high-level of privacy but like you stated there are so many ways around it from have that "one time" photo, saved and held onto by the recievers. 

I think that the new update that they have done for Snapchat is trying to become too much like other social media sites. The thing that caught my attention about this app was that it was just photos kind of related to Instagram. Now they are taking it out of proportion by adding all of this features with messaging and being able to save a message to be able to remember and the other disappear. The new update in my opinion is just going to make it even less private with more access to people being able to capture conversations and save them to their memory.

I do not have Snapchat, so it was new for me. I read some articles about snapchat and its issue. Considering Snapchat has boast its strong privacy protection policy, it is grevious for its customers to know that Snapchat had a weak privacy. Although everybody knows that privacy is not entirely protectable, they feel betrayed by Snapchat because it assured them that their privacy is protected. If something similar to this happens again, the users of Snapchat will discard the app and turn to another competitor.

In my country, these days, most credit card companies have been hacked by unknown hackers. The private information of customers of the company was leaked by it. Now, people feel unsafe in digital world and they are even getting used to it. There have been articles that warned that if some hackers really intend to take private information, it is not impossible for them despite all the efforts from anti-hacking activities. Therefore, the best way to protect our private information is minimizing the exposure of our private information. The government should also make policies that limit the companies' acquirement of the private information of the customers. Not to mention, the companies have to try their best to protect their customers' information.

When snapchat first came out, I used it all day, everyday. Now I seem to not have the time and with the new updates, it annoys me. But when I do use snapchat, I use it with caution just like any other service. In a perfect world, it would be great if there was a higher level of privacy but I feel that in todays world, asking for complete privacy is unrealistic. People need to think about the content thet are sending and who they are sending it to. If I choose to send a hidious snapchat and my friends screen shot it, that is on me. Nothing is 100% private/secure these days.

When snapchat says that it has a 'higher level of privacy,' I could see where they are coming from because their app doesnt give you an option to save a video/photo. Obviously the way around that is screen shotting, but the app doesn't give you the option itself. Also, you can choose how long you send a snap for. So as the user you have to understand that you can control to who, what, and how long you send a snap chat for. Snapchat claims they have a HIGHER level of privacy...not COMPLETE privacy.

I use snapchat daily, some days more than other, but nevertheless I use it VERY often. My only thoughts when considering it's privacy is, yes, the photos and videos get 'deleted' after being sent but you can't really expect any sort of social communication to be completely private. It is easier to save a photo or video sent to via SMS or any other text or email but like you stated, there's nothing stopping somebody from 'screen-shotting' pictures or just using another device to capture the material. I don't think people really have the place to criticize snapchat on not being completely private. They shouldn’t assume that their material couldn't somehow be saved by their recipient. In my opinion, if there's a will, there's a way. 

However much I disagree with people’s criticism of snapchat’s privacy, I do feel as though shapchat’s public declaration of privacy was wrong. Even though snapchat built there product on the claim that the pictures and videos disappear after a certain number of seconds, it wasn’t true to declare that these materials are completely private and are unable to be saved. There’s no way of them knowing what people will do with received messages and they shouldn’t have assumed its security.

Whatever the outcome of the snapchat lawsuit, I will most likely continue to use it, but just as cautiously as I have been. 

To start, I use Snapchat a lot throughout the day, some days more often than others. I do not, however, expect this new mobile app to have a higher level of privacy. I do not use it for purposes that I would feel the need to have privacy concerns. Therefore, I don’t use it with caution. With emails and texting, it is a different story for me. I feel like those who I share texts with are people that I trust and I do not feel like I need to censor myself per sae. Considering all of this, I do agree that snapchat mislead the users of the mobile app with the security issues. My opinion of snapchat has changed because of that lawsuit, and even though the company will probably improve their security measures, I will proceed with caution. 

I think snapchat is a fun and exciting way to communicate with friends. Texting all the time gets old for me and switching it up and sending back-and-forth pictures makes conversation a little more exciting. With that being said, I mainly snap chat 4-6 people only. I do not post "my stories" because they annoy me and are obnoxious. I think the FTC brought up a very interesting case about the privacy. Anyone who uses snap chat for a short time learns that the pictures disappear but there is a chance someone may screen shot the picture to capture the image before disappearing. When I first learned that the pictures people were sending on snap chat were not completely gone is a little freaky for me to think about — I have sent my fair share of hideous selfies. 

I'm curious, where do the pictures actually go, who has access to them and who can see them?

I do use Snapchat on a regular basis and I find it more interesting and exciting than regular text messaging because I am a visual person, however, I do not expect a higher level of privacy because I know that people can take screenshots of certain Snapchats or by putting Snapchats in “My Story” everyone in your Snapchat contacts can see those pictures or videos. The creators of Snapchat do not have the right to say that a person’s pictures or videos will be private because people can find ways to capture the image and videos regardless, so I believe that the FTC is right in saying that Snapchat has mislead users. I do think that Snapchat is more personal than Facebook and other Social Media websites because the people that you add on Snapchat are usually friends you have in your phone contact list; whereas on Facebook you add all kinds of people, even people you are not close with or may have met or seen once in a class or party. People may not be as open to posting pictures or videos on Facebook as they are on Snapchat due to the fact that the friends they have on Snapchat are their actual friends; therefore they will feel more comfortable posting pictures or videos on there, I know I feel this way. I use all my social media websites with caution, including Snapchat, because like I mentioned before, you never know who could screenshot a certain snap or how many people could be watching that video you posted on “My Story”.

The new updates of snapchat allows you to video chat with each other by pressing a button. It also allows you to send text messages to each other, but after you read it, it disappears. The privacy for snapchat is something I always liked because of the fact that the image is not saved after you open it. However, I am not sure if the snapchat company itself archives these photos, or if they store it without our knowledge. However, I still use it because it is a quick way to connect with my friends. I can show them a picture of what I am doing at that moment without having to wait for my picture or video to load through text messages. It is quick and easy and that's what I like about it. Of course, I don't send provocative pictures anywhere on the internet because I know everything is archived on a website, so I still use that precaution with snapchat. I just don't think it is a huge deal, because if you are consented to our own materials, then you should be able to use the apps that are created for you. In the end, it is up to your discretion while using apps like this that can be easily seen by outsiders and you can limit it to just your friends seeing your snapstories and such.

I use SnapChat occasionally, but I am not a religious user of it like some other people my age. I actually find it as more of annoyance lately because some people send Snapchats or post stories that are extremely long and boring. I don't expect a higher level of privacy when using it. Any use of social media or an online app has some security issues. With SnapChat, I am well aware that if I send a photo to another person, they could take a screenshot or show it to anyone around them. I don't think people should be so naive to think that SnapChat would provide more privacy than any other social media. I also feel that SnapChat did possibly mislead users, but I don't think it deserves an FTC lawsuit because any reasonable person should realize the loopholes in the so-called privacy.

I haven’t used Snapchat. Based on the app’s concept, it should provide higher level of privacy but I can’t expect it compared to text message or e-mail because I just don’t believe that data disappears completely on devices or internet and it is hard to get rid of hackers’ risks completely on this sort of apps. Actually, those became the issue of Snapchat. Also, although some of e-mail providers access to the users’ e-mail contents, I would rather expect higher protection on e-mail because it would be used more for professional and confidential correspondences.

Additionally, like FTC alleged, it has a limitation to make snaps be vanished. According to the Snapchat’s Privacy Policy updated on May 1 2014, senders are notified when receivers take a screenshot of senders’ snaps if possible. In addition to this imperfect function, there are risks that are beyond the control of the company such that someone takes pictures of snaps by second devices. Thus, Snapchat potentially holds privacy risks. The problem was the feature that Snapchat claimed was misleading. However, since Snapchat claims these risks in Privacy Policy now, it is users’ responsibility if they use this app. If the benefit of Snapchat exceeds the fear of risks, people may use it. The same idea is applied to the issue that users’ data such as location based information can be collected by providers like Snapchat. I think I won’t use this app. However, if I am a user, I will use it with caution.

I downloaded the Snapchat App few months ago and then deleted it due to I couldn't find a single friend to chat with by using it. While I don't know much about this social media, I did notice that it required my cell phone number for verification when I signed up. I'm usually very cautious about this kind of social network that have the information of cell phone number instead of email address, so I think besides their false claim of deleting messages within seconds, manipulating our personal information obtained from cell phone number could also be a pitfall.

Consider the issue of privacy, I believe that nothing can protect our privacy totally as long as we get online and give others our information. Even when we browse website without login, it remains cookies in the computer and these cookies can be used as a means of product promotion or so. Through the mobile app, Snapchat can easily manipulate the messages people send and receive, can they can easily capture the pictures either within seconds even though they claim that the messages are deleted pretty soon after sending. I've read several other articles considering this issue, and learned that there would be a third party to monitor the privacy program for the following 20 years. It seems our privacy on Snapchat will be guaranteed for at least 20 years, but who knows the degree of advancement of modern technology can be, especially of the hackers'?