Snapchat is on its way to further strengthen its safety, and as such, the social media platform has encouraged its users to sweep their friend list. The users will begin seeing a new feature called Friend Check-Up, suggesting that users review their friend list.
Snapchat, time and again, has emphasized that the new tool’s addition will work towards making communication safe. The app said that it did not want to encourage its users to create connections with people they did not know just to increase the number of followers. Since doing so makes communication and exchange of information vulnerable to attacks.
Snapchat unveiled the new update to mark Safer Internet Day, and the app is trying to do its part to spare its users from negative experiences.
The new feature will appear like a notification. The app further mentioned that they would start rolling out the update for Android users in the upcoming weeks; as for the iOS users, the new update will be made available in the coming months.
“We have all come to realize both the importance of digital tools for staying connected – especially during the pandemic – as well as some of the potential risks that these tools can create,” a spokesperson for the app’s parent firm, Snap, said.
The spokesperson further mentioned, “One source of risk on digital platforms are the connections that can be created – sometimes at the explicit urging of the platform – with people who we don’t know in real life and who may expose us to negative experiences, such as the spread of misinformation, harassment, or unwanted situations.”
“At Snapchat, we built our app with those risks very much in mind. The architecture of our platform is designed to encourage connection and communication between those who are real friends, while making it much harder for strangers to find and friend Snapchatters.”
The tool will also remind the users that they may have added someone to their friends’ list they may not know. This move comes after the app came under scrutiny about the protection of its users.