Despite being dubbed the “sexting apps,” developers of Snapchat say the intended value to users is to provide fun, open, real-time communication with photos.

A typical advertisement for Snapchat goes like this:

• Snapchat is the fastest way to share a moment with friends.
• You control how long your friends can view your message – set the timer up to ten seconds and send.
• They’ll have that long to view your message and then it disappears forever.
• We’ll let you know if they take a screenshot!

A False Sense of Security

How helpful is a screenshot notification? It is possible for a recipient to save a photo by making a quick screenshot. The app will then notify the sender that the photo has been captured, but that’s as far as it goes. A potentially embarrassing photo still exists. The original photo may have self-destructed – as intended by the sender – but the screen captured photo can be saved and shared. There are also other ways to snag, save and potentially send or post received photos and videos. A low tech way is to simply take a photo of the screen displaying the photo message. Other ways include connecting the recipient’s phone to a computer and using a file manager program to capture the unopened file. Captured files are regularly uploaded to social media Web sites. Bottom line: If a sexting conversation is ongoing, a recipient can capture and save images or videos. A captured image or video can easily be posted for public viewing.

Think about the process: Any data sent via an app needs to go through servers. Snapchat’s privacy policy admits that it cannot promise that all images will be deleted after a few seconds. “Although we attempt to delete image data as soon as possible after the message is transmitted, we cannot guarantee that the message contents will be deleted in every case.” It adds, “Messages, therefore, are sent at the risk of the user.” Potentials for hacking: As with many new applications, once released, outside security experts are able to conduct their own research on the potential for privacy breaches. It has been documented that self-destructing photo apps on a user’s phone have the potential to be hacked.

Is it a Game?

The game-like qualities of Snapchat further illustrate that privacy should not be expected when using this app. Snapchat awards points to users for sent snaps and all Snapchat users have public profiles that list the top three people they share photos with the most. Users are easily searched on the associated Snapchat or Facebook Web sites. And crossover activity between social media networks makes it common for usernames to be shared. For example, some people post their Snapchat usernames on Twitter so anyone can send photos to them.

Best advice: App-sharing sexually suggestive photos or videos puts you at extreme risk of embarrassment, humiliation or serious bullying. There is no such thing as “safe sexting.”