Snapchat Settles Charges with FTC That It Deceived Users

<i>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.</i>

So weird that this is allowed. Company does it: maybe pay a fine. Individual does it: maybe get charged with a CFAA crime.

Great to hear that te government will be punishing companies that lied about their involvement in NSA spying.<p>&quot;Any company that makes misrepresentations to consumers about its privacy and security practices risks F.T.C. action.”

It&#x27;s funny that the FTC was upset that Snapchat couldn&#x27;t prevent users from taking a screenshot. It&#x27;s obvious Snapchat cannot prevent that - the user could always point a camera at screen, too.

In their defense, when the SnapChat founders were on Colbert awhile back, they were emphatic about saying, &quot;There are many ways it can be saved!&quot; And, were warning users that it&#x27;s just a convenient thing, not any true protection.<p>But, yes, users can be easily confused, and they (intentionally?) got more downloads &#x2F; users because people mistakenly believed that the images were 100% deleted.<p>For the HN&#x2F;Techie audience, we of course never believe anything digitally transmitted to a recipient can be 100% deleted by the sender. Nothing will ever prevent brute force things like &quot;having a camera over my shoulder, recording my screens&quot;.

So write the terms we have grown to expect, but then give a promise of &quot;do no evil?&quot;

I appreciate that the FTC is trying to do right by consumers - it&#x27;s a great mandate. This Snapchat issue seems so inconsequential compared to two areas I&#x27;d love to see them addressing - net neutrality and data privacy across all services.

The fact that they compiled all that private info must have helped to their crazy valuation.