Snapchat Releases Snap Map: Everything You Need To Know

Snapchat’s latest update has some unexpected features that could reveal some personal information you do not want to make public. Version 10.11.0.0 of Snapchat was released June 21st, 2017. It is the release of Snapchat’s newest feature, Snap Map, a way to see the location of all of your friends and events happening near you. The feature could have some positive outcomes, but it is certainly a security concern for Snapchat users.

Why You Should Care

You may say this is just another new Snapchat feature that you will have no real use for and will never use, which may be true. However, the update allows Snapchat to share your location with your friends and there is a good chance you don’t even realize it is happening. There are no obvious alerts or warnings that come up after you update, so it is very hard to find. You have to go to the stories screen (bottom right on the home screen) and then make a pinching motion with your fingers. This will take you to the brand new Snap Map.

How To Protect Yourself

The first time you open Snap Map a confusing settings menu will appear. You are given 3 options to enable “ghost mode”, share your location with friends, or share with select friends. Sharing with friends allows you to permanently have your location visible by your entire Snapchat friends list. If you share it with select friends only friends you choose will be able to see your location. Ghost mode makes it so no one can see your location and is the best way to protect yourself. It is easy to update the app, choose a setting, and forget that it ever happened. If you are not a frequent Snapchat user and don’t take advantage of all of it’s features, Snap Map is hidden in a way that makes it easy to forget. Unless you have a specific reason you want all of your friends to see your location it is a good idea to turn on ghost mode.

While Snapchat’s newest update may be a cool feature to see what is happening around you, there are clear reasons to be concerned. It is important to make sure that you are aware if your location is being shared and parents should make sure their kids are not sharing their location with people they should not be.