This is the fifth in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms. The first post was about YouTube. The second post was about Facebook. The fourth post discussed Instagram. Last week’s post was about Twitter. Today’s post will cover Snapchat. The sixth and final post in the series, on April 12, will be about Reddit.
Snapchat is an app-based photo and video messaging service. Upon its initial release in 2011, Snapchat grew quickly in popularity due to its novel feature which allowed users to share messages that then disappeared. This concept evolved from a person-to-person design to then include a chronological timeline of stories and content sponsored by brands, media groups, and influencers.
Snapchat’s global reach, appeal to digital marketers for campaigns and features, and popularity among a young demographic for both messaging as well as engaging with brands and sharing monetized content, have all made the company a leader in the app-based social media and messaging field. Along with this market saturation, though, has come serious concerns about data privacy, cybersecurity, and a variety of other challenges and risk factors which have impacted the company’s public image, corporate culture, and bottom line.
- Snap Maps feature and journalistic ethics – During the shooting, Snap Maps took viewers inside the Florida high school
- Advertising of plastic surgeons and patients’ rights – Plastic surgeons sharing procedures on social media raises ethical concerns
- GPS tracking and child safety – Snapchat’s Snap Map feature raises child safety concern and void in online education
- Phishing and information security – A phishing attack scored credentials for more than 50,000 Snapchat users
- Third-party data sharing – Snapchat is building the same kind of data-sharing API that just got Facebook into trouble
- Age-targeting and regulatory supervision of advertisers – Diageo Halts Snapchat Ads Over Age-Targeting Concerns
- Offensive advertising content – Rihanna criticizes Snapchat for ad referencing domestic violence
- Ban on cryptocurrency ICO ads – Snapchat Bans Cryptocurrency ICO Ads
- Change management – Snapchat reduces workforce by 7% to reflect structural changes
- Intellectual property claims – BlackBerry accuses Snapchat of using its patented messaging technology
Check back next Thursday for the final post in this series, which will be about current compliance and ethics issues with Reddit.