Did you know that Snapchat, the company, actually keeps an archive of messages for about a month, and they can be subpoenaed?

I didn’t know that, but it really doesn’t surprise me. I wouldn’t expect anything else from Facebook (who owns Snapchat)./

You seem to say that with some disgust @elbanditoroso. Do you think it’s the wrong thing to do?

I know I’m not going to change anything at this point, but there was a time in the early days of the web when one could count on privacy and confidentiality, instead of corporations buying and selling my information and storing it for their own purposes.

So I am disgusted with the way that the internet has robbed us all.

@Dutchess_lll to directly answer your question. I think it is a horrible approach to save them communications of 2 billion people for a month, on the off chance there might be something illegal in there.

You’re not surveilling just one potential bad guy, you are eavesdropping on the whole free world. And that sucks.

Well if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about.

I feel like anything online or digital is accessible somewhere for longer than the company would even admit to. Even things that are deleted from text or email are on some server somewhere.

@Dutchess_lll precisely the wrong attitude.

I have nothing to hide, but that doesn’t preclude some totalitarian government or some nasty FBI agent from misinterpreting data and deciding I am guilty of something on a whim.

Saying “if you have nothing to hide..” is basically acquiescing to a surveillance society where we are all potentially guilty.

Further – just knowing that you’re being eavesdropped on is going to change your behavior. I have cut my Facebook use down to about 1/10 of what it used to be, and I have never signed up for Instagram and Snapchat even though both would be useful – for that very reason.

Well. I’m not paranoid.

I didn’t findv anything to back.up your claim that it’s owned by Facebook. But I’m also on my phone and it’s difficult to research.

My error. Snapchat is independent. Instagram is owned by Facebook.

WhatsApp is owned by Facebook now. Both apps are similar, easy mistake.

I would be shocked if anything is ever actually deleted. And the question remains, what happens if your data gets backed-up. Take Fluther for example, at some interval I would like to think snapshots are taken of the database. So say I ask them to completely nuke my account and they agree my data would still be sitting in back-up. And it really isn’t reasonable for me to expect them to purge my data from back-ups. So the data is out there somewhere.

That’s right @johnpowel.

Everyone has something to hide, when the wrong people are in power.

A student recently had his visa revoked over some politically critical statements that his friends made on social media.

Got a wrong political opinion? You might lose your job.
Talked about your recurring illness with a friend? Have your insurance rate jacked up.
Made a disparaging post about cops, ICE or TSA? Get put on a watch list and harassed by uniformed thugs next time you try to board a plane.
Expressed support of BLM? Get some cocaine stashed in your pocket by a corrupt cop next time you get stopped for “some reason”.

Everyone has something to hide.

Once on the internet, forever on the internet.

And don’t worry, it’s only a matter of time before some tech behemoth purchases Snapchat (Google has already made overtures).