snapchat.md

Snapchat Privacy Policy

Last reviewed: 2017-01-10

tl;dr Snapchat:

• collects what you provide
• collects a lot of other information that gets associated with you
• shares information too readily
• uses aggressive/pervasive tracking
• may charge you if you contact them to request access to your information
• may keep your information even if you delete it or close your account
• may be working with data brokers

Information they collect

• Snapchat collects the information you supply, what they get from your use of the platform, and what they get from third parties.
• The basic stuff for an account includes a username, password, email, phone number, and date of birth. You may upload a profile picture as well.
• They may ask for additional information, such as name or other "useful identifying information".
• You may have to provide a debit or credit card number.
• Obviously, your snaps and chats.
• What you provide over your support requests.
• Information about your use of Snapchat: what you've seen, for how long, what you share, which filters you view or apply, channels you watch, your search queries, names and other metadata about communications on Snapchat, number of messages you send to specific people, messages you've viewed, when you capture a screenshot, etc.
• Snapchat collects the metadata associated with content you provide.
• Device-specifics, including "hardware model, operating system version, advertising identifier, unique application identifiers, unique device identifiers, browser type, language, wireless network, and mobile network information.
• Snapchat collects your phone number.
• They may collect your phone's list of contacts, with your consent.
• A rough estimate of your location. With consent, your precise location.
• What they can get from you via cookies, beacons, web storage, and unique identifiers.
• What they get via logs. Server logs usually include your IP address, addresses you're requesting, technical information, etc.
• The page that referred you (i.e. document.referrer).
• Snapchat may collect information about you that they get from your friends, even if you don't use the service. E.g. if you're on a user's phonebook.
• Snapchat may "obtain information from other companies". The wording points to data brokers. This info is associated with you as well.

What they do with it

• "Provide you with an amazing set of products and services." Ha. Ha. /s
• "develop, operate, improve, deliver, maintain, and protect our products and services."
• Communicate with you. This includes promotional contacts.
• Tailor their services to you.
• Customize the ads they show you. Improve said ads.
• Associate metadata with your content.
• Prevent fraud and other illegal activity.
• Enforce their ToS.
• They may store "information locally on your device".

What they share and how

• Other users may get: your username, profile picture, name, some info about how your interactions, your friends on Snapchat, etc.
• Obviously, what you make public on Snapchat can be seen by other users. Some controls for this exist.
• Some of your information may be shared with "business partners, and the general public". This includes your username, profile pictures, name, what you submit to particular services, etc.
• "We may share information with entities within the Snap Inc. family of companies."
• Information may be shared with "service providers, sellers, and partners". This includes third-parties who provide Snapchat with services and need said information.
• Snapchat may share your info for legal reasons, when they consider it important.
• Some sharing might happen as they enforce their ToS.
• Some sharing might happen as they "protect the rights, property, and safety of us, our users, or others".
• Again, to prevent fraud and similar stuff.
• If they're bought, merge, or go through a financing process, they may share information before and after the operation.
• With advertisers: "non-personally identifiable" information.
• If you use third-party aspects of their services, some sharing might occur.
• Snapchat "may let other companies use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies on our services. These companies may collect information about how you use our services and other websites and online services over time and across different services."

What you can do about these rules

• Snapchat warns that others might keep information you delete. This matters. Don't upload stuff you don't want public. People might save and share your stuff, ignoring your right to privacy. There's a number of ways people can do this, and Snapchat even points to a few.
• Snapchat vows to delete content after all recipients have opened it, or it has expired.
• Your device might keep some information that Snapchat can't delete. Forensic analysis might find that information.
• Beyond Snaps, content may be stored for longer periods.
• Content that gets made public might be stored indefinitely, "as necessary to offer and improve the services."
• Snapchat will ignore their deletion practices if they "receive [a] valid legal process asking [them] to preserve content", and also when they get reports of abuse or other ToS violations.
• Some information will be retained on backups, or as required by law.
• You can access and update most of the information they have. "There are limits though". They may ignore requests based on a number of arbitrary reasons.
• You may have to request the deletion of specific information.
• You may have to pay a fee if a request requires "a disproportionate effort on [their] part".
• When you delete your account, it's frozen for 30 days. Only then it gets deleted.
• You can limit how ads are tailored to you.
• "No matter where you live or where you happen to use [their] services, your information may be shared within the Snap Inc. family of companies". So it'll stored and process in the USA, among other countries.
• Children can't use the service.
• The policy may change, and sometimes they'll let you know.

Note that Snapchat doesn't promise to delete your information once no longer necessary. Their wording suggests they might simply anonymise it, or keep it but prevent access to this information. Also note that your data will be hosted across the borders of your country. This means their respect for laws regarding data retention may make matters worse (i.e. if a country's law requires Snapchat to keep data even after you delete your account).

Pervasive tracking

Snapchat uses pervasive tracking techniques, including:

• cookies and persistent cookies,
• device-specifics that can lead to fingerprinting
• several unique identifiers
• your phone number and information about you that's hard to change
• your location: when precise, it may fingerprint you specifically
• beacons, web storage, and similar technologies