WARNING: Snapchat's New Feature - Whoever Thought This Was a Good Idea is Nuts!
Snapchat's latest update has a new feature that uses your GPS location service to show your friends where you are. You can see where they are too. Sounds fun, right? From what I have read, it can zoom in to the actual building you are in. How cool is that?
The new feature is called SnapMap and it's extremely dangerous if your kids are friends with anyone they don't know in real life. Heck, it's dangerous for you if YOU are friends with people you don't know in real life. One goal for a lot of social media users is to have tons of "friends". Another is sharing every detail of our lives. This app exacerbates the problem of TMI (Too much information) in that now these strangers have photos AND your location at their fingertips with little more than a swipe of their finger. If they have ill intentions, SnapMap makes it too easy for a predator. This can be a problem adults who think it can't happen to them, but it is even more worrisome when it concerns our kids.
While this may seem to be a fun feature on the surface, some of our kids have hundreds or even thousands of followers on apps like snapchat. How many of those followers are pedophiles? Sex-traffickers? or something else equally deviant? If you have the app, check your settings. Check your children's phones. Talk to your kids about online safety.... NOW...TODAY!
Here is a link from one of our local news sharing sites with more information regarding the update and instructions on disabling the feature using the "Ghost Mode" setting.
http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/mcso-warns-of-new-threat-to-children/
FYI: For me, I just turned of location services for the app. I know all of my snapchat friends but the creeper factor was too much for me. If I want my friends and family to know where I am, I will tell them. ;)
Loki says, "Peace out and stay safe!"
Thanks for reading this. I hope it's not too long but I felt the need to get this information out there.
As technology grows we will see more and more security issues. Screw snapchat thats all I have to say.
Thanks for your reply. It's sad but true that technology creates these issues. We seem to have an epidemic in our area with "lost"/missing children. I can't help but believe that a majority of these kids met their fate on social media. It's a sad situation.
The first what I tought when I saw that feature was: A wet dream for FBI & NSA came true...
Hope people will avoid snap or at least that feature...
@bullspring I'm not sure which is worse, FBI & NSA or Pedophiles & sex traffickers. Scary all around. Thanks for your comments!
Remind me to stay away from Snapchat.
@halfscreen Oh come on now? Won't you be my friend on snapchat? We can add @yournextstepdad on there and stalk on him together. Oh wait, does that mean he can stalk us too?
That is pretty brazen of them. I don't like that either! Just asking for trouble. Snapchat is not something I ever got into. Though, I did have a friend make me look like a deer, because... OMG so cute. Hahaha.
@farmstead It's unbelievable that they thought it was a good idea! I play with it usually to take video of my husband with the funny voices and the deer or fairy faces, but I save them to my phone and then share when comic relief is necessary. Cracks me up every time!
At least there's the option to turn it off. I hope that teens have the good sense to listen to their parents. (doubtful....)
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