Time and time again I have heard that nothing you ever post
on the internet is safe. Whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., when
you post something for the internet to see, it can never be erased. At least
that’s what I’ve been taught my whole life.
When it comes to Snapchat though, there is a broader sense
of security; even if it’s false. The idea that the picture and comment you post
with it will disappear within 1-10 seconds makes it seem like your content will
somehow cease to exist. Sorry to burst all of your privacy bubbles, but Snapchat has the ability store and use the pictures you take. According to snapchat.com,
“We collect the content you provide and information about that content, such as
if the recipient has viewed the content, replayed the content, and the metadata
that is provided with the content.” Yeah whaaaat. It’s not a complete surprise
to me though that this app has the rights to whatever you post to it. It’s a
smart idea for anyone in the cyber business.
Within this modern day and age, there are very few things
that are completely secure and locked away where no one but yourself can view.
There is very little privacy while we’re being bombarded with news, media, and
social platforms that almost beg for your immediate attention and feedback. Without
thinking twice, in a split second you can irrationally send something out into
the internet world and have it be there for the rest of your life. Even if you
delete it seconds later.
There is a certain app that I think offers more security
than others… and it is called PhotoVault. This app lets you take certain photos
from your camera roll and transport them to a separate folder within the PhotoVault
app that is then password protected. Why you would want to hide certain photos
from possibly being seen by your friends and family is your scandalous
business. BUT if you have the need for this, then this app sounds like a pretty
good idea, right? Wrong. After further investigation I found reviews online of
customers who bought this app in confidence that it would protect their
privacy. It didn’t quite do that. Upon plugging the device into a computer, the
photos were displayed for everyone around in the near vicinity to see. I think
that this app should have more explicitly stated the type of security that it
provides… instead of being so vague and providing false confidence to the user.
Have you ever robbed a bank? Committed a felony? Lied to
your people? Well then my advice to you is to write all of your experiences
down in a journal like your ancestors did. Instead of texting about something
you don’t want other people to know, send a carrier pigeon. Instead of sharing
your location with all of your Instagram followers, send them all a postcard
from your trip because that is about the only way you can be sure that your
information is safe these days.
I wrote about Snapchat too and found the privacy policy very interesting and made me nervous as I was reading about it. I love how you offer an alternative mobile app to readers. Great idea and great blog post! Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteThe whole Snapchat privacy policy is a very interesting one. I have read up on it as well and for me personally I don't mind. I don't send potentially embarrassing photos any ways so sure, they can keep them. I do like how you brought in another potential app option but did the research to see if it actually was a good one. Thanks for the post!
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