Snapchat Settles With FTC Over Privacy Breach
Mobile messaging service Snapchat has agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that it deceived customers by collecting their user information without permission.
Snapchat's mobile app promises users that video and photos will "disappear forever" soon after they're sent, thus insuring privacy and safeguarding against data collection.
But according to the FTC the company "made multiple misrepresentations to consumers about its product that stood in stark contrast to how the app actually worked."
The New York Times elaborates:
"[In] its complaint, the commission said the messages, often called snaps, can be saved in several ways. The commission said that users can save a message by using a third-party app, for example, or employ simple workarounds that allow users to take a screenshot of messages without detection.
"The complaint also said Snapchat transmitted users' location information and collected sensitive data like address book contacts, despite its saying that it did not collect such information. The commission said the policies allowed security researchers to compile a database of 4.6 million user names and phone numbers during a recent security breach."