Snapchat - The Ghastly Figure of Cyber Security

Source: mashable.com

Snapchat’s story started with a good idea, two entrepreneurial guys and some free time, while studying at Stanford Uni. Soon after, the company was receiving offers of billions from the likes of Google and Facebook, which they turned down. 



Then came the controversy.

Sexting became the operative word when mentioning Snapchat. Security issues started to pour in which got the business making the news headlines and then came the 4.6 mil accounts hack. 

As security issues got trivialised by the CEOs, so did the trust of the tech community for the new app. All that seemed to remain was the loyalty of the users, and for a non-income generating company, loyalty is essential for its survival. The question is how much can a young tech business rely on just loyalty alone?

Snapchat’s unique selling point is it offers ephemeral moments – snaps – that can be shared instantly. It doesn’t promise privacy. In fact Spiegel points out in this interview, the app should not be trusted with sensitive information. It doesn’t offer security for users’ information and it doesn’t come with advertising opportunities to keep investors interested as with Facebook or Twitter.

                                                            Source: YouTube 

So then what makes its users so loyal? A simple answer would be that the target audience for the app is teenagers, who get enough privacy to circumvent parents, don’t generally value account security too much and appreciate the advert-free environment. Snapchat represents a safe haven at the moment. 

What history shows us is that teenagers are a capricious audience - which may be why Facebook is now losing their interest; they will always be on the hunt for the next big thing that can keep them momentarily off the radar. But even Facebook couldn’t turn a blind eye to fixing vulnerabilities. LinkedIn's reaction time is highly efficient when a threat comes up and Twitter has so far proved reliable. 

Conclusion: responsible companies take security issues very seriously.

If Snapchat dismisses vulnerabilities and their teenage fan-base starts looking for the next big thing, the newly-appointed darling of the Sillicon Valley will start deprecating fast and may come to regret refusing the offers made by Google and Facebook. Or indeed, they may surprise us with new features that will bring in a new wave of admirers and investors.