Is the Snap Map dangerous?

Our main mission was finding out how dangerous people think the Snapchat Snap Map is. Our hypothesis was that most people would find it dangerous. 

This is the app logo.

This is the Map.

The Snapchat snap map is a feature in the app Snapchat. Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app in which the user can send photos and messages to people around the world. These photos and messages disappear either straight after being opened or 24 hours after being opened. The snap map enables users to share their location with either everyone they have added, certain friends or no one (a.k.a. ghost mode). Users are able to create an avatar that is placed on a map in a surprisingly accurate representation of where you are. It can even show whether you are in a car or a plane, walking or even sleeping by putting your avatar in that situation. 

These are the avatars (bitmojis).

Here are some examples of the answers we got to our questions; 

One of our questions was; Why do you/do you not share your location? 

Out of the 47 people who responded to this question, 31 people do share their location and 16 people don’t share.  A lot of the people who do share, only share with close friends and family, often just in case something bad happens to them. Others share it because it’s popular to do so and because they feel obliged to share it with friends who share it back. People who don’t share it mainly say that it is because they feel that people don’t need to know where they are or where they live 

Another question was; What stories do you know about people being in danger because of the snap map? 

43 of the people who answered this question didn’t respond with any stories about danger caused by the snap map but 7 of the people had heard about friends and strangers being stalked, paedophilia occurring and others being blackmailed because of aspects of the snap map. An example is the very accurate location tracker, making it easier to track people down.  

We asked our survey responders to give new snap-chatters some advice on how to stay safe on Snapchat. Most of the answers were along the lines of only add people you know and if you really want the snap map, only share your location with close friends. Otherwise, just put yourself on Ghost Mode so no one can see you.  

We conclude that our hypothesis was pretty much correct. Most people thought that if used correctly, with some common sense, you can reduce the risks. For example, many people who didn’t think it was dangerous only shared with their close friends and family.