Snapchat

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Facebook Abuses Collected in Snap's 'Project Voldemort'

Andrew Orr ·

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, reportedly has a dossier of anticompetitive behavior Facebook carried out over the years, dubbed Project Voldemort.

According to the WSJ, Snap’s legal team recorded instances where Facebook discouraged prominent social media influencers with a presence on multiple platforms from mentioning Snap on their Instagram accounts. Snap executives also suspected Facebook was suppressing content that originated on Snap from trending on Instagram, when such content was shared there.

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Several Years Ago Snapchat Employees Accessed User Data

Andrew Orr ·

Several Snapchat employees accessed user data, anonymous sources say. Phone numbers, saved Snaps, and more were up for grabs.

…internal tools that allowed Snap employees at the time to access user data, including in some cases location information, their own saved Snaps and personal information such as phone numbers and email addresses. Snaps are photos or videos that, if not saved, typically disappear after being received (or after 24 hours if posted to a user’s Story).

Because of course they f*cking did.

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Snapchat Gaming Platform to Launch Next Month

Andrew Orr ·

Reports suggest that a Snapchat gaming platform will launch next month, which is currently codenamed Project Cognac.

The new games initiative will be unveiled at Snap’s first-ever summit for content and developer partners in Los Angeles on April 4, the person said, adding that video initiatives like more original shows will also be announced. An invitation to the event that was seen by Cheddar includes the tagline, “Less talk. More play.” — a nod to the gaming platform.

Everyone seems to be trying to conquer gaming now. Facebook, Apple, Google, and now Snap.

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Facebook vs Snapchat is Like Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates

Charlotte Henry ·

Facebook’s so-called “pivot to privacy” has elicited a number of reactions. One of the more incisive ones comes from Kara Swisher. In a New York Times Sunday review column, Ms. Swisher compared Facebook’s attempts to bolster private messaging, in direct competition with Snapchat, to the battle between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. In that case, Mr. Jobs’s “stunning creativity” eventually “won out.” This time, the size of Facebook may mean Mr. Zuckerberg can make a success of the Snapchat model. If he really means it.

Mr. Zuckerberg is to Bill Gates as Mr. Spiegel is to Steve Jobs. Mr. Jobs always had better ideas and vision than Mr. Gates. But Apple spent a long time in dire straits while he pushed his high-level concepts about security, privacy, and design and simplicity. Mr. Gates, on the other hand, was an unqualified genius at business models and systems, and he clearly understood the depressing truth that good enough was good enough for a lot of consumers.

Instagram Stories Now Available on the Web
Cool Stuff Found

Instagram Stories Now Available on the Web

Bryan Chaffin ·

Instagram announced Thursday that the platform’s Stories will soon be viewable on the Web. This means IG users will be able to see them on a browser on Mac or PC, or on a mobile device if you don’t want to use the Instagram app. Previously they were available only in the app. Stories were essentially copied from SnapChat, and have proven immensely popular for Instagram, too. Stories last 24 hours only and are comprised of either live streams, videos, or stills. I’m not seeing them in my personal Instagram feed yet, but the company said that when they appear, they’ll be, “at the top of feed on mobile web, and to the right of your feed on desktop web.”

Instagram Testing Live Stories with Friends
Cool Stuff Found

Instagram Testing Live Stories with Friends

Bryan Chaffin ·

Instagram announced Tuesday that it’s testing the ability to do live Stories with friends. Users who are broadcasting live can tap a button that allows them to invite anyone who is watching to join in on the broadcast. The original Story broadcaster can remove and invite another, too. As shown in the screenshot, the original Story broadcaster is on top of the split screen, while the participant is on the lower half. Instagram said the feature is being tested by a “small percentage of our community,” and will be launched globally in the “next few months.” It’s all part of Facebook/Instagram’s slow, but steady attack on YouTube, as well as SnapChat, and I expect it to be a popular feature. Especially after some split Stories go catastrophically wrong.

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Facebook Targets Snapchat with Instagram Stories

Jeff Gamet ·

Watch out, Snapchat. Facebook is taking you on with its new Instagram Stories feature in Instagram. Like Snapchat, Instagram Stories lets you draw on photos and videos then post them where followers can see your impromptu works of art before they disappear 24 hours later.