Hmmm, that previously harmless seeming little white ghost logo has suddenly taken a more sinister form… Could it be haunting us forever? Snapchat has just settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over complaints that its app deceived users with that promise of "disappearing" messages. Argh.
Everyone's favourite bathroom tool after loo paper and soap has always claimed that messages sent through the app would vanish forever, but the FTC has ruled that this is misleading, calling out a variety of ways that snaps can be captured and shadily logged. Obviously we've all previously considered the old screen grab method, right? We don't think we can blame Snapchat too much if we can't trust the person we're messaging not to do the double click their phone, but the FTC also points to other third-party apps that tap into the service. We did not know about that! shudders
Even more unsettlingly, The FTC accuses the company of duping its users over the amount of personal data collected without proper permission. Worse still, Snapchat apparently did a bad job protecting the data - there was a leak of 4.6 million phone numbers and usernames, leading to the FTC saying:
"The exposure of this information could lead to costly spam, phishing, and other unsolicited communications."
So what next? Do we have to go back to email, hand drawn notes or Instagram (hey, it works for Rihanna) if we want to flirt with some flesh? According to Business Insider, the company has now been ordered to create and use an “in-depth privacy program” and submit to monitoring by a privacy professional for 20 years. So in theory we're safe.
Jesus, though, two decades? We just wonder if it will be us or our children taking toilet selfies then. Neither, please.
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Image: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.