Snapchat – a popular messaging app that allows users to exchange photos and videos – has announced a new feature called ‘Friend Check-Up’ in celebration of Safer Internet Day. This feature will prompt users to check their friends list to ensure that they are only connected with people they want to be connected with. Otherwise – private data such as SnapMap location and stories might fall into the hands of the wrong people.
The Snapchat Team announced on their website:
“We have all come to realize both the importance of digital tools for staying connected to one another — especially during the pandemic — as well as some of the potential risks that these tools can create. One source of risk on digital platforms are the connections that can be created — sometimes at the explicit urging of the platform — with people who we don’t know in real life and who may expose us to negative experiences, such as the spread of misinformation, harassment, or unwanted situations”.
The Friend Check-up feature is the latest addition to Snapchat’s more comprehensive online safety and privacy campaign launched one month ago. To raise additional awareness for Safe Internet practices, Snapchat has partnered with organizations such as Connect Safely USA and ChildNet UK to create filters where users can “swipe up for additional safety resources from each organization”. They have also partnered with Crisis Text Line USA and Shout UK to provide “crisis text lines for local Snapchatters”.
Snapchat’s commitment to online safety and privacy is a great example of how social media platforms should protect their user communities.