Snap feature spurs warning on predators
Some advocates say a recently introduced Snapchat feature dubbed Snap Map could help predators locate children and teens more easily, and also enable bullying.
Snap Inc. says in its June 21 announcement that the feature lets a user “see what’s happening, find your friends, and get inspired to go on an adventure!”
On Snapchat, users can pinch their fingers to zoom out from the Snapchat camera and make a map appear. There is a heatmap feature that shows places where large numbers of users are adding snaps, or photos and videos tagged with a location. But the new addition also adds features that have some child safety advocates worried.
“It’s a major privacy threat, because kids don’t look at privacy options,” said Ross Ellis, founder and CEO of the organization Stomp Out Bullying. Some kids will look at
privacy options, she said, but most won’t.
Through Snap Map, people can look at photos and videos posted to the public Our Story feature on a map that shows where they were taken. Only some posts sent to Our Story make it on the map, and the app doesn’t show who took them.
It also allows users to share their location with their friends through little cartoons of a person on a map. Teens could be in danger if they opt in and their friends include people they don’t know in real life, advocates say.
“It is important to be careful about who you share your location with, as it can allow people to build up a picture of where you live, go to school and spend your time,” warned the organization Childnet International in an online post. “Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat — giving your location to a precise pinpoint on a map — we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person.”
Will Gardner, CEO of the British charity, agreed that risks include aiding bullies in finding out where people spend their time, or providing sensitive information to child predators.
When Childnet International runs sessions in schools with children, a key message is to keep personal information safe, Gardner said.
When people update the app, Snapchat walks them through the new feature, and allows them to select who can see their location. Users can select from a few different settings: “My Friends,” “Select Friends…” and “Only Me (Ghost Mode).” If someone opts in to anything but Ghost Mode, his or her location will be updated whenever the app is opened.
If someone hasn’t been on the app for a period of time, their cartoon will disappear from the map.
“The safety of our community is very important to us and we want to make sure that all Snapchatters, parents and educators have accurate information about how the Snap Map works,” Snap spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said in an email.
Location sharing is “off by default” and optional, she said, adding that “the majority of interactions on Snapchat take place between close friends.”
Snapchat has a parent guide that explains the app and walks parents through how to talk to their kids about it. Snapchat also asks users for their birthday and won’t let those younger than 13 create an account. But some advocates warn that kids lie about their age.
Stacey Gray, policy counsel with the Future of Privacy Forum, a nonprofit organization focused on consumer data privacy, said the group is not “too concerned” about Snapchat, because “the controls that they built in appear to me to be very granular and very strong.” The concern is more that “collection and use of precise location data everywhere is becoming ubiquitous from mobile apps,” she said.
The potential issues with Snapchat, Gray said, are less about privacy and more social: “Is it going to potentially be used for bullying, to tell someone all their friends are hanging out without them?”
The feature could help some bullies to further their efforts, giving them a person’s location or allowing them to post a teen’s whereabouts online, said Ellis of Stomp Out Bullying.
“Most bullies are not going to go to your house, but some do,” she said. “I know several people that bullies have gone to their house, or what they’ve done is listed their victim’s address online, which is not good.”
In its parent guide, Snapchat notes that bullying violates its community guidelines.
“Make sure to talk to your kids about why bullying is wrong,” the guide says. “Also remind them to talk to you or any other trusted adult if they are ever on the receiving end of bullying or unwanted content.”
Ellis’ worry wasn’t reserved for bullying.
“It could be a predator,” she said. “There are older men posing online as 16-, 17-year-old boys, so that in itself is not safe.”
“Parents really need to know what their kids are doing online, whether it’s Snapchat or Instagram or whatever,” said Ellis. “So you can’t just say to your kid, OK, you can have an account. And sometimes parents don’t even know that their kids have these accounts.”
Users should remain in Ghost Mode for now, recommended Justin Patchin, professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center.
“I’m not so concerned about it from the perspective of the offline bullying … but it does create issues with even just predators, or anybody knowing where you live or where you’re at.”