PALO ALTO — Snapchat Inc. announced Thursday it has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that the company deceived users about the true nature of its disappearing messages. The settlement also covers data collection, user geolocation and security practices.
Snapchat surged in popularity in part because of its promise of comparative privacy: Messages transmitted through its service would disappear soon after recipients viewed them. But the photos and notes did not, in fact, disappear permanently as Snapchat claimed. Recipients could take screenshots, use third-party apps or employ other loopholes to capture the messages.
