Snapchat, like any other social media platform, has the potential to become a nuisance and an invasion of privacy, which may lead you to consider turning it off altogether.
The potential privacy risks posed by Snapchat have just been made public (as of today, May 24th, 2019). SnapLion, an internal Snapchat program, was developed to comply with law enforcement requests for access to users’ private device data.
Everything from where you’ve been and what you’ve seen to your saved images (Snaps) and personal contact details are fair game.
Ex-employees have claimed that multiple instances of app misuse occurred, with users abusing it to obtain sensitive company information for their own ends. There have been examples of staff using SnapLion to access users’ saved images or contact information, and it has been widely circulated to departments outside of law enforcement for usage in other contexts.
Here’s How To Get Rid of Your Snapchat Account
Step-by-step instructions for erasing your Snapchat account from your own PC
- Follow the link to My Account and Security under Account Settings.
- To delete your account, go to the Accounts Portal and then choose Account Security.
- To sign in with Snapchat, enter your username and password.
You can proceed after you’ve entered your username and password. - Within 30 days of having your Snapchat account deactivated, you can restore it. Simply re-access the Snapchat app within that time frame by entering your username and password.
- If you deactivate your Snapchat account, you’ll need to be patient because it can take up to 24 hours to reactivate your account and retrieve all of your account information.
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Getting Rid of Snapchat on An iOs or Android Device
- Launch the Snapchat program.
- Select your character by tapping its image in the upper left corner.
- Click the settings cog in the upper right corner.
- Under the heading “Support,” click the “I Need Help” button.
- To access Snapchat’s help center, please click here. At the very top of the page is a search field. To permanently remove your account, simply enter “Delete” and click the first result. If you click this, your account will be permanently deleted.
- To continue, please click the Accounts Portal link provided in the body of the text.
- You’ve arrived at the Snapchat page where accounts can be deleted. Enter your login credentials to activate the 30-day recovery period for your account. After a month, your account will be terminated automatically if you simply log in again and select the delete option.
How to Uninstall Snapchat Forever
After you begin the process of deleting your Snapchat account, no one will be able to see your profile again. For your Snapchat account to be permanently deleted, you must not use the app for 30 days after deactivating it.
Your Snapchat account will be deleted after this time frame, but not entirely. According to Snapchat’s privacy policies, the company keeps some users’ data for reasons of law, security, and commerce. Information about your purchases and agreements with the terms of service are included.
Think long and hard about whether you really want to give up your Snapchat account. Everything related to your account will be deleted permanently after 30 days if no action is taken to restore it. If you deactivate your account, all of your information, including contacts, memories, friends, stories, and previously shared places or other virtual signposts, will be erased.
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According to Snapchat’s Privacy Policy, What Data Does the App Collect About Me?
Snapchat keeps track of three different kinds of data:
- You’re free to disclose any details you like (all the info you enter into the app while using it).
- Data gathered from Snapchat use (information from your device, location, logs, etc.).
- Data was collected from external sources (such as advertising, users’ contacts, and connected third-party apps).
This information may be shared with other users, affiliated companies, business partners, and other concerned parties as necessary or as permitted by law. Possible data sharing with third-party brokers (you can use a service like Incogni to opt out of data brokers automatically). For internal purposes, as well (e.g., ad-targeting). You have the option to download your data or withdraw consent for its use, albeit doing so may disable some features.
