Snapchat
❗Article Status Notice: This Article is a stub
This article is underdeveloped, and needs additional work to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues. Issues may include:
- This article needs to be expanded to provide meaningful information
- This article requires additional verifiable evidence to demonstrate systemic impact
- More documentation is needed to establish how this reflects broader consumer protection concerns
- The connection between individual incidents and company-wide practices needs to be better established
- The article is simply too short, and lacks sufficient content
How You Can Help:
- Add documented examples with verifiable sources
- Provide evidence of similar incidents affecting other consumers
- Include relevant company policies or communications that demonstrate systemic practices
- Link to credible reporting that covers these issues
- Flesh out the article with relevant information
This notice will be removed once the article is sufficiently developed. Once you believe the article is ready to have its notice removed, visit the Discord (join here) and post to the #appeals channel, or mention its status on the article's talk page.
Snapchat is a social media and camera app founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy.[1] In March 2017, Snapchat would become a publicly traded company in the New York stock exchange.[2]
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Type | Public |
| Industry | Social media |
| Official website | https://snapchat.com |
Consumer impact summary edit
Freedom edit
Users can request access to their user data and the deletion of their account through the app, though users will be redirected to https://accounts.snapchat.com.[3] Users will have 30 days to reactivate a deactivated account, though after 180 days the account is permanently deleted.[4]
Privacy edit
Unopened "one-on-one" snaps are deleted from servers after 31 days of being sent.[5]
Business model edit
In 2022, Snapchat introduced a subscription service called "Snapchat+" for $4 a month or $40 a year.[6] In February 2025, a "platinum" tier was introduced for $14.99 a month.[7]
Market control edit
As of April 2024, Snapchat has roughly 800 million monthly users.[8] In March 2025, Snapchat was reported on having an active user index of 27.7, being behind Messenger, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube.[9]
Incidents edit
Data breach (2014) edit
In January 2014, Snapchat experienced a data breach that exposed the usernames and partial phone numbers of 4.6 million users through an API exploit.[10] A couple days after the breach, Snapchat updated the app to allow users to opt-out of linking phone numbers to their usernames through the "find friends" function of the app.[11]
Privacy concerns edit
Snapchat Maps (2017) edit
In June 2017, a new feature called "Maps" was released that showed users where their friends were while using the app.[12] This feature was from the acquisition of the company Zenly.[13] Many feared the feature would be used in stalking and many child safety groups were wary, with one stating "we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person".[12]
As of February 2025, users can opt out of the maps feature by disabling location services in their device settings or through the app. This can be done temporarily through "ghost mode," where only Snapchat can see your location rather than your added friends. Users can also restrict what accounts can see their location.
Products edit
References edit
- ↑ O'Connell, Brian (2020-02-28). "History of Snapchat: Timeline and Facts". TheStreet. Archived from the original on 2024-12-29. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Balakrishnan, Anita (2017-03-02). "Snap closes up 44% after rollicking IPO". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ "How do I download my data from Snapchat?". Snapchat Support. Archived from the original on 2025-04-12. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ "How do I deactivate or delete my Snapchat account?". Snapchat Support. Archived from the original on 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ "Can I request a copy of a Snap?". Snapchat Support. Archived from the original on 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ Betters, Elyse; Lennox, Jesse (2024-06-26). "Is Snapchat+ worth it? What you need to know before subscribing". Pocket Lint. Archived from the original on 2025-01-26. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ Sexton, Kathleen (2025-02-03). "Snapchat Introduces Ad-Free Platinum Tier—Will Subscribers Pay the Price?". Subscription Insider. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ GilPress (2024-05-17). "Global Social Media Statistics 2024 by Age, Platform, Country". What's the Big Data. Archived from the original on 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "Global social media Statistics". DataReportal. Archived from the original on 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "Snapchat Data Breach Exposes 4.6 Million Usernames". Epic. 2014-01-02. Archived from the original on 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ Roman, Jeffery (2014-01-10). "Snapchat Updates Security After Breach". Data Breach Today. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Solon, Olivia (2017-06-23). "Snapchat's new map feature raises fears of stalking and bullying". TheGuardian. Archived from the original on 2025-02-14. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Constine, Josh (2017-06-21). "Snapchat acquires social map app Zenly for $250M to $350M". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Leswing, Kif (2016-07-19). "Snapchat just introduced a feature it paid more than $100 million for". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Constine, Josh (2017-10-28). "Why Snapchat Spectacles failed". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ "SPS 2021: Introducing the Next Generation of Spectacles". Snapchat Newsroom. 2021-05-20. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Leng, Ben (2024-09-17). "Snapchat Reveals Latest Spectacles AR Glasses with Attractive Pricing for Developers". Road ToVR. Archived from the original on 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Stein, Scott (2022-05-22). "Me and My Selfie Drone: Life With a Snap Pixy". CNET. Archived from the original on 2025-03-08. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ↑ Hollister, Sean (2024-02-01). "Snap is recalling and refunding every drone it ever sold". TheVerge. Archived from the original on 2025-03-22. Retrieved 2025-03-25.