‘SNAP’ JUDGMENT

App maker says leakers could face jail sentence

Loose lips can sink careers at Snapchat — and land you behind bars.

Snap Inc., the messaging app’s parent company, in a move many thought was over the top, has threatened its employees with jail time should they get caught leaking any confidential company information.

The warning was made in a memo to employees last week from Snap General Counsel Michael O’Sullivan, according to tech Web site Cheddar Scoops, which obtained a copy of the note.

The sternly worded letter, intended to deter employees from leaking to the media, clearly had the opposite effect — as word of the warning was, well, leaked to the media within a week.

In the memo, O’Sullivan stressed that Snap has a “zero-tolerance policy” toward any and all leakers.

“If you leak Snap Inc. information, you will lose your job and we will pursue any and all legal remedies against you,” he said. “And that’s just the start. You can face personal financial liability even if you yourself did not benefit from the leaked information.”

The US government and Snap’s investors are also able to “seek their own remedies” against any leakers, and “the government can even put you in jail,” O’Sullivan warned.

While no company would condone leaks, it is rare that a company would threaten to help lock up leakers.

The threatening language used in the memo shines a light on the famously secretive company — and reflects a growing paranoia following a number of damning leaks.

Last week, soon after O’Sullivan’s memo was sent to employees, The Daily Beast published a story that included confidential metrics about Snapchat’s key features.

Prior to that, details of the former Venice, Calif., tech darling’s app redesign were leaked to the press prior to the official announcement, as well as information about Snapchat’s new “Stories Everywhere” feature.

At its recent New Year’s Eve party — a downtown Los An- geles bash that reportedly cost $4 million — attendees were blocked from using the app to send photos.

The paranoid-like behavior of the company also included executives having every New Year’s Eve party guest tape over the camera on their phone.

The company also had a ribbon tied to a wrist of each attendee reading, “No Photos,” according to reports.

And on Thursday, Cheddar reported on a leak that Snap would be laying off nearly two dozen employees — most from its content division.

It’s not the first time Snap has laid off employees in recent months.

In October, the social network laid off 18 employees from its recruiting division as it looks to slow hiring in 2018.

In an e-mail to employees at the time, chief executive officer Evan Spiegel said company leaders would have to make “hard decisions” about underperforming employees.

And in September, the company pink-slipped a dozen employees from a marketing team focused on Spectacles, the company’s wearable camera-cum-sunglasses combo, as it restructured its hardware division.

Snap shares, down 42 percent from last year’s IPO, gained 3 cents on Friday, to $14.04. nvega@nypost.com