Snap Maps a new app by Snapchat lets its users to track other’s movements in real-time, however many child safety groups are cautioning youngsters against sharing their location. Here is Why?
Snapchat has introduced a map feature that lets users track different people’s location in real time, raising considerations among safety and privacy advocates.
Snap Maps which has launched this week, plots users and their snaps onto a map thus friends and other Snapchatters can see wherever they're and what they're doing.
Snapchat said in a Blog announcing update that, “We’ve built a whole new way to explore the world! See what’s happening, find your friends, and obtain inspired to go on an adventure!”
When they first use the feature, users can choose whether or not they wish to make their location visible to all or any of their friends, a selected group of connections or to nobody at all, that Snapchat refers to as “ghost mode”.
The new feature has raised considerations among safety specialists who worry it may be used to stalk or bully others and thus posses threat.
The Child Safety Group Childnet International said in a blog post that, “Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat , giving your location to a definite pinpoint on a map , we encourage users to not share their location, particularly with individuals they don’t recognize face to face,”
“It is very important to watch out regarding who you share your location with, because it can enable individuals to build up an image of wherever you reside, when you attend college and where you pay your time,”
Larry Magid, the CEO of ConnectSafely.org added.“Parents need to sit down with their kids and acquire them to really consider which friends they're sharing their location with,”
“Users should bear in mind of the feature and review it periodically – if a friend becomes an ex-friend, as an example.”
Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc sees the new feature as a discoverability tool for the notoriously easy to navigate messaging app.
Snap product designer Jack Brody said, “There’s definitely the aspect of where are my friends and what’s happening around them, then again there’s a bigger aspect of what’s happening globally, There’s something very powerful about seeing the diversity, however also the similarity of snaps round the world.”
If there’s a serious event or breaking news happening that a lot of individuals are documenting on Snapchat, a patch of color can be seen on the map distinguishing the hotspot.
The map additionally incorporates “actionmojis”, a brand new form of personalised avatar that Snapchat automatically creates by analyzing the user’s location, time of day or speed of travel. thus some individuals can appear in an animated car, as an example. The actionmojis appear on the map once a user shares their location and disappear once they’ve been offline for many hours.
Snapchat isn’t the First Social Media to enable location tracking. Twitter also lets individuals to add their locations to tweets, whereas Facebook check-ins and also the “share location” messenger feature enable individuals to trace their contacts. Also Apple enables its users to share their location on a map for a limited period of time.
Snap Maps is based on technology acquired when Snap bought social mapping startup Zenly in late May. Zenly’s app lets its users to see where their friends are in real time and also send them as messages.
To access the map, users need to open the app and pinch to zoom out on the screen, then it displays a map of the native area. Users can change whether or not they're visible to others within the setting of the App.
I think that google has the capabilities too isnt it? however good one indeed
Yes .. but snapchat is giving Pinpoint location
Personally I'm not a big app fan...had the flashlight in my phone disabled...I think. I also have my GPS mode turned off at all times. I expect I would use it if I were going deep into the countryside...for safety sake.
I find such things invasive to my sense of privacy. However...each to their own.
~may all hatred cease...let there be peace~
Yup :)
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by cryptologyx from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, and someguy123. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.
~smiles~ glad I could be of service...the MSP and PALnet are just as they read...invaluable to the new bloggers and seasoned alike. It's friends, family and schooling all in one place...you won't regret checking it out and it won't cost you a single puff of steem...unless you have steem to spare...you'll see...or not...the choice is yours to make
I think facebook or something had this years ago.. But i dont like it. BUt i dont like social media in general soo. They need to make sure the location is generic and not super accurate for safety reasons.
Correct, I agree.
Perhaps ...It is pinpoint so its not safe :(
I think they will realize that this is necessary before launch. These social media platforms disappoint me on the daily, but its a business and that what they do
And Snapchat has had a bad attitude towards its users especially Indian and Spain users.
Pls what kind bad altitude would really love to knw
Remember their statement a few months ago they said "Snapchat is not for poor countries like India and Spain"
Woooo hearing this for the first time. Bt thats a harsh statement for them to make