700 million ― the amount of messages sent via Snapchat in 2014 alone. 700 million pictures and messages we all thought were private and vanished permanently after they were viewed can now be posted on a billboard without consent from their creators. This is because Snapchat changed their Terms and Conditions in the 9.18.0.0 update released on Oct. 28.
The revised terms and conditions state that all of the snaps that users send are stored in the Snapchat servers and can be publically displayed at Snapchat’s discretion. Any pictures and messages that have been sent since the recent update could be up on a billboard or in a magazine tomorrow.
Who reads the terms and conditions anyway? “I have read the terms and conditions” and “I agree” are probably two of the biggest lies smart phone users tell. Name one person who scrolls from the top to the bottom of the policy pages, reading them word for word. I’ll wait. No one reads those things. They are usually too long or in too small of a font or people do not “have time,” and some just don’t care.
Maybe Snapchat users were too eager to virtually barf rainbows or engulf their faces in flames to realize the changes.
There will be nowhere to turn, nowhere to complain and no one to blame if pictures were published and the originator was not pleased with the photo. What if someone sent a picture with a silly face they only intended for their best friends to see, and that picture ends up as an ad for Snapchat? Embarrassing. What if two people in a relationship were sending intimate pictures they only intended for each other’s eyes, they had a bad break-up and one had the ability to create ads for Snapchat? Scary. It would be no one’s fault but the user’s. The user could not do anything about it because they hadn’t read the terms and conditions properly.
Read the privacy policy and terms of service pages, people. These long and dreadful-looking documents which we are presented with in most apps we download and websites we access have potentially valuable information lurking in the fine print.
Too many organizations are lurking and waiting for a naïve young adult to sign something without reading it thoroughly. What if the document to be initialed said that users who agree must pat their head and rub their tummy every 30 seconds? They would be breaking a contractual agreement if they did not comply. Granted, this is a simple example and would be impossible for Snapchat to enforce and monitor, but it shows just how important it is to read what is put in front of the user to sign.
Document signing is becoming more and more important as college students make their way to becoming adults. More documents requiring a signature, requesting initials and demanding a sign on the dotted line. No more signing without reading. No more initialing without questioning. No more accepting without understanding. Homes, renting, cars, credit cards, insurance, memberships, all of these and then some require signatures and should not go unread by the signer. Lawyers are a useful tool when it comes to contracts, but they should not carry the responsibility. In the grand scheme of things, a Snapchat contract agreement seems minimal compared to home and insurance contracts, but nonetheless, the overall idea of reading before signing is identical.
Let’s look at Kylie Jenner’s leaked Snapchat video of her sister, Kendall, who was shown with no hands on the wheel while driving her car and one leg out of the window. This just goes to show that anyone’s life, whether they want it published or not, can be leaked, published and misconstrued. One false move, and now she is being called a “bad influence” and “naïve and reckless.” This may or may not be true, but either way, that video and those names will be forever attached to her name and image.
It is important to use this as a learning experience for the future. Snapchat updating their Terms and Conditions may have been a rude awakening that many young adults and teens needed.
The changes that Snapchat has made and users have agreed to may not be as detrimental or severe as some other contracts people may sign. But don’t complain when your photo is plastered on a billboard in the city. As of the 9.18.0.0 update, Snapchat has those rights.
Snap wisely, my friends.
