... and how does it work?
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A video & photo messaging application.
Lots of info on Wiki pages about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat
There seem to be issues over security and also it being used for sexting.
An application which is causing many problems for parents who's kids are using it to send indecent images of themselves to a third party.
Although in my experience, just as many adults use it for the same thing.
Despite what people think, the images can be captured and saved.
Thanks for the info El Loro and EC!
Cold Sweat posted:Thanks for the info El Loro and EC!
Thanks from me too, as I didn't know what it was either 
The central idea behind Snapchat is "impermanent photos" - an attempt to tackle the problem that "once you post something on the web, it's there forever". When you send a message or photo using it, you set a timer (only a few seconds), and when it expires, the post will "disappear" (Snapchat originally claimed it would be deleted.) They also claimed they would notify you if the recipient took a screenshot but - as others have already said - there have been major problems regarding Snapchat's privacy and security...
Ii's fabulous! I use it all the time to keep in touch with my children. I probably send them 3 or 4 snapchats a day, and they send the same back. Sooo much better than talking on the phone (which I absolutely hate doing).
It means that we touch base every day and communicate with silly messages and god awful pictures!
Yes, you can take a screen shot and yes, you are notified if the recipient does take a screen shot and no, I have never sexted my children, nor them me!
Rexi posted:Ii's fabulous! I use it all the time to keep in touch with my children. I probably send them 3 or 4 snapchats a day, and they send the same back. Sooo much better than talking on the phone (which I absolutely hate doing).
It means that we touch base every day and communicate with silly messages and god awful pictures!
Yes, you can take a screen shot and yes, you are notified if the recipient does take a screen shot and no, I have never sexted my children, nor them me!
And that is one of the correct ways of using it 
Unfortunately one can bypass the screenshot notification, therefore taking a screenshot without the sender ever knowing.
I have seen many snapchat pictures which the sender has no idea is out there on the web. The interesting thing is that any text you put on the picture and the timer can be seen on the saved picture.
Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:Rexi posted:Ii's fabulous! I use it all the time to keep in touch with my children. I probably send them 3 or 4 snapchats a day, and they send the same back. Sooo much better than talking on the phone (which I absolutely hate doing).
It means that we touch base every day and communicate with silly messages and god awful pictures!
Yes, you can take a screen shot and yes, you are notified if the recipient does take a screen shot and no, I have never sexted my children, nor them me!
And that is one of the correct ways of using it
Unfortunately one can bypass the screenshot notification, therefore taking a screenshot without the sender ever knowing.
I have seen many snapchat pictures which the sender has no idea is out there on the web. The interesting thing is that any text you put on the picture and the timer can be seen on the saved picture.
This is what I was trying to get at earlier, but I should have been clearer.
When I said "They also claimed they would notify you if the recipient took a screenshot": yes, the functionality's there, but because workarounds are possible Snapchat cannot guarantee it in practise. This isn't going to be a problem for users like Rexi, but for others who were relying on the claims of privacy and security it was a big enough issue for Snapchat to get into big trouble with the US Federal Trade Commission...
Well yeah ... I guess the Sheryls out there would take a pic of their fufi and send it on Snapchat, but then they would do that on text or FB or anywhere, not Snapchat's fault. 
Rexi posted:Well yeah ... I guess the Sheryls out there would take a pic of their fufi and send it on Snapchat, but then they would do that on text or FB or anywhere, not Snapchat's fault.
I think Snapchat has a responsibility to ensure their members are of correct age. My understanding is that many sites use 13+ as the minimum age. Unfortunately parents seem to allow younger children to join these sites.
When you have seen as many 10, 11, 12 yr olds sending pictures and messages of a sexula nature as I have, you tend to take a dim view of the lackadaisical approach of these companies.
Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:Rexi posted:Well yeah ... I guess the Sheryls out there would take a pic of their fufi and send it on Snapchat, but then they would do that on text or FB or anywhere, not Snapchat's fault.
I think Snapchat has a responsibility to ensure their members are of correct age. My understanding is that many sites use 13+ as the minimum age. Unfortunately parents seem to allow younger children to join these sites.
When you have seen as many 10, 11, 12 yr olds sending pictures and messages of a sexula nature as I have, you tend to take a dim view of the lackadaisical approach of these companies.
Well, my kids are all in their 20s, tho if I found out they were using it inappropriately I would spank their bums.
And I daresay they'd be a bit cross if I started flashing my bits on it!
All social media sites have a responsibility to ensure that their members are of the correct age. But it's smell the coffee time ... if kids want to register they will lie. Simple as that.
Rexi posted:Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:Well, my kids are all in their 20s, tho if I found out they were using it inappropriately I would spank their bums.
And I daresay they'd be a bit cross if I started flashing my bits on it!
All social media sites have a responsibility to ensure that their members are of the correct age. But it's smell the coffee time ... if kids want to register they will lie. Simple as that.
bang on Rexi
Rexi posted:Well yeah ... I guess the Sheryls out there would take a pic of their fufi and send it on Snapchat, but then they would do that on text or FB or anywhere, not Snapchat's fault.
No, but it is their fault for making false claims about their privacy policy - for which they got done by the Federal Trade Commission. There were also claims that they were harvesting e-mail contacts from users without permission. Snapchat never officially admitted to that, but they still agreed to change their privacy policy. 
I do agree with you though that users have to take responsibility themselves, and while Snapchat were wrong to make promises they couldn't keep, it could be argued that users were naÃŊve to blindly accept such security claims in the first place. The nature of the interweb is such that you cannot assume anything is totally secure. I still bear in mind what my first boss said: "You shouldn't post anything on your webpage that you wouldn't be happy having on a billboard outside your house." Now he was talking about company webpages, where there are all sorts of other contractual issues at play too, but I think it still applies, and to e-mails and other forms of online communication too...
Eugene's Lair posted:but I think it still applies, and to e-mails and other forms of online communication too...
Not directly related, bu I think the EU in in the process of implementing a directive whereby business etc have to ensure that any confidential information they send in an email is sent on a secure basis. When I send confidential documents to my clients I use either password protected Winzipped files or use a secure portal which has been developed by Iris for the use of accountants and their clients. It's a bit like Dropbox but more secure.
El Loro posted:Eugene's Lair posted:but I think it still applies, and to e-mails and other forms of online communication too...
Not directly related, bu I think the EU in in the process of implementing a directive whereby business etc have to ensure that any confidential information they send in an email is sent on a secure basis. When I send confidential documents to my clients I use either password protected Winzipped files or use a secure portal which has been developed by Iris for the use of accountants and their clients. It's a bit like Dropbox but more secure.
I would avoid winzip type applications, a lot of them seem to be easily cracked.
Go for something like veracrypt. It works well and can be sent in a portable version to your recipient. It is also free (open source).
EC, I only use Winzip with one client at that client's insistence. We use a password which changes of around 17 characters. The encrypted zipped file is encrypted with 256 bit AES. We use Winzip itself rather than one of the free clones. Those are more likely to use Zip 2.0 for encryption and it's those which are easier to crack. I do have to pay each year for that Winzip but when I'm dealing with confidential information security is more important.