Snapchat's Terms and Conditions

Show of hands: How many people knew Snapkidz exists? Snapkidz is actually the underage version of Snapchat, which according to the network's terms, doesn't allow you to add friends or send snaps because you must be at least 18 to use certain functions. The experience exists locally on the device. I don't know about you, but 14-year-old Nhi would not have been deterred by these terms. For example, when I signed up for Neopets many, many years ago, I simply lied about my age. I suspect many youngsters, my sisters included, don't abide by this part of Snapchat's terms.

Perhaps the most important and interesting part of Snapchat's terms is its privacy policy. Anyone who's used the network knows that the best and worst part about Snapchat is the "deletion" of your snaps. It's great because your friends can only see what you send for a short amount of time, but the age-old question is where does all that content go? Does Snapchat keep it?

So, let's take a look: "Delete is our default. That means that most messages sent through our Services will be automatically deleted once they have been viewed or have expired. But—and this is important—you should understand that users who see your messages can always save them, either by taking a screenshot or by using some other image-capture technology."

Okay, that doesn't sound too bad... until you keep reading. "We can’t guarantee that messages will be deleted within a specific timeframe. And even after we’ve deleted message data from our servers, that same data may remain in backup for a limited period of time. We also sometimes receive requests from law enforcement requiring us by law to suspend our ordinary server-deletion practices for specific information. Finally, of course, as with any digital information, there may be ways to access messages while still in temporary storage on recipients’ devices or, forensically, even after they are deleted." Delete is not your default, Snapchat. Trash is your default, and it sounds like you can always restore files.

This is just one of many several points that I am uncomfortable with in the policy:

• "Snapchat does not transmit any funds and is not a money-services business." Then what is Snapcash, exactly? 
• You retain ownership of all content but by submitting content you give Snapchat "irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, publish, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, promote, exhibit, and display such User Content in any and all media or distribution methods, now known or later developed (the “User Content License”), subject to any privacy settings you have set to control who can see your User Content." 
• Snapchat can't always detect when someone screenshots what you send. 

Of course, Snapchat does a decent job of covering its bases including not being liable or responsible for content, but it leaves much to be desired for users. I mean, the least the app can do is be honest and straightforward about how it works and how it stores data.