Today, it is rare to come across someone that truly takes the time to read the privacy policy and understand what it is saying to us. We find ourselves quickly clicking through the words on our screens in order to get to the part of the app we want to see. Does anyone take the time to really read this statement and understand what we are giving up by checking that little box at the bottom? In this assignment we took a closer look at some privacy policies in order to gather a better understanding about what they mean for the user.
When taking a look at the snapchat privacy policy there were many things to uncover. Overall, it is not a terribly long privacy policy but it does go into depth. I found it almost comical that before introducing the real privacy policy, the website tried to direct users to a summary of the privacy policy. Readers would be more inclined to click on this link and possibly miss important information. One thing to note is that their policy has been updated and is effective October 30th, 2019. The Policy opens up by starting with the question that is on everyone’s mind, what information is collected? Snapchat breaks down this question into three parts. Information you provide, information we get when you use our services, and information we get from third parties. Following these three points, it delves deeper into all three. Through their policy, Snapchat is able to have access to your phonebook, camera, photos, and location. Snapchat uses this information to help develop and deliver a better product to its user, or so it says. Snapchat also makes it clear that they save the things you search and the things you like so that “[they] can provide so we can provide you with more relevant content and advertisements.”
Overall, I felt Snapchat’s policy was very clear and easy to understand. It is important that any reader would be able to read this policy and understand what information they are giving up. The policy addressed essentially all aspects of the app and did a nice job of being clear to the reader. One thing I thought about after reading this is, although minute, we are providing the app with a lot of information about ourselves. With each click, we are allowing the app to get deeper and deeper into our phone and our personal information. Throughout the policy, Snapchat solely talks about the things it is allowed to have access to but it leaves some ambiguity about what they are not allowed to access. Another thing that I noted is the language of the privacy policy. It is very friendly and not daunting to the user in the slightest. This stood out to me because essentially what snapchat is saying in its privacy policy is the right to keep photos of your face and from your camera roll in its database, which many would be opposed to if it was said this way. Reading this privacy policy made me think of Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony that we read for class and how privacy policies are not always clear and there can sometimes be some big flaws. After reading this privacy policy and thinking back on Zuckerberg’s testimonies it is clear that Privacy policies are an important part of how companies operate and crucial that they are followed and maintained.
Interview with Jack Orlando about Privacy Policies as a whole:
