The unexplained Snapchat billboard I pass everyday on my way to school serves as a constant reminder of how much the phone app violates my private life. Recently, students (myself included) have become uncomfortably aware of Snapchat’s updated privacy policy. It states that both the intricately-planned picture to your crush, and the rapidly-snapped, not-so-attractive photo to your best friend doesn’t actually disappear forever after ten seconds. This was responded to with terror by many teens and young adults who don’t want their personal information put at risk.
Although I use Snapchat more as a way to pass time rather than a platform to upload all my deepest, darkest secrets, I was one of the many people who were less than thrilled to discover that all of their idiotic pictures were being hidden somewhere. It’s like being told by a good friend that everything you’ve ever said has been recorded by them, and that sometimes they go back and listen to it to see if they find anything interesting when they’re bored.
It’s the unknown intention that scares me the most. What does Snapchat plan to use these millions of trillions of pictures for, and will I ever get a say in which ones they use? Then again, the latter question is easily answered: yes, I will. In fact, I did get a say when I signed up for the app by agreeing to their terms and conditions, which I easily slid by for sake of saving time and not boring myself to sleep. In my downloading Snapchat, I gave them permission to have every photo I take in the app, and to use it how they please.
So, really, is Snapchat to blame when private photographs get released, or is it my fault for not caring enough to read the fine print? While it is true that the app seems to be violating my private rights on a whole other level, I was the one to unknowingly give consent. I dug my hole, and now I have to lie in it.