Snapchat just introduced Chat 2.0, coming in with a slew of new features, but other than that, it also updated its terms of service and privacy policy.
First things first, the new features that came with Chat 2.0 include camera roll, live audio and video chat, audio and video notes and – the crème de la crème – stickers. According to the social media company, it rolled out all these goodies because it wants Chat to be on top of the communication food chain that's "second only to hanging out face-to-face," noting that it's goal to "emulate the best parts of face-to-face conversation" has not changed at all.
"You can start by sending a few chats, and when your friend shows up, start talking or video chatting instantly with one tap. Your friend can simply listen if you want to sing them a song, or watch if you have a new puppy to show them. If they aren't there, you can quickly send an audio note to say what you mean. And sometimes, a sticker says it best," Snapchat says.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of changes across the board in the terms of service and privacy policy.
Third-Party Links And Search Results
For starters, Snapchat services could have "third-party links and search results," according to the updated privacy policy. At this point, it's unclear what "third-party search results" will entail. Perhaps the company has inked a deal with Google.
Virtual Products
Next up, Snapchat made it abundantly clear that the merchandise people can purchase on the app are called Virtual Products. This e-commerce vision stems from the announcement Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief and Snapchat board member Joanna Coles made back in February, where publishers can put commodities up for sale on the Discover section.
What about physical products? Well, there's a possibility that the company took it out of the current terms so that it could add in a whole new section dedicated to it in the future.
The Right Way To End An Agreement With Snapchat
Before Snapchat made these changes, the only way to "end" an agreement with it was to delete the app. As everyone could imagine, that didn't exactly work, as there's no way for the company to know it was deleted. This time around, it straightened things out, saying users will have to delete their accounts to terminate the terms.
Special Terms For The U.S. Government
Snapchat devoted a portion of the terms to those who use the app "on behalf of an entity of the U.S. government," pointing out to them that they agree to the Amendment to Snapchat Terms of Service for U.S. Government Users [PDF].
Cookie Policy
Snapchat made a page solely for its cookie policy that explains what cookies the company uses and how it uses them.
Information Collection
The new policies now spell out what information Snapchat collects. On that note, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the company already keeps track of them even before the documents were updated.
As explained by the policy, the company gathers details in terms of filter views, search queries, unique identifiers of devices for advertising purposes and other pages users go to after visiting the Snapchat website, which the company only did to users before they went to its website previously.
"From the beginning, the way we treat your information has been very different from other technology companies. We don't stockpile your private communication, and we don't show your friends an ongoing history of everything you've ever posted. We believe that this approach makes Snapchat feel less like a permanent record, and more like a conversation with friends," Snapchat says.
These changes that went into effect on March 29, 2016, were determined thanks to Marketing Land, as the news website took advantage of the Wayback Machine of Internet Archive to get the documents dated Oct. 28, 2016, before Snapchat updated them and DiffChecker to pinpoint the new sections and portions.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
