Copy our data privacy policies too, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel to Facebook

Hitting out at Facebook once again, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has suggested the social networking giant to not only copy its features but also its data protection policies.

During a ReCode conference in California on Tuesday, the Snapchat chief said Facebook has failed to sufficiently overhaul its user privacy protections.

"We would really appreciate it if they copied our data protection practices also," Spiegel was quoted as saying during the event.

"Fundamentally, I think the changes have to go beyond window dressing to real changes to the ways that these platforms work," he added.

Reacting to Spiegel, Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos tweeted on Wednesday, "Snapchat's implicit promise that photos really disappear combined with poor API security has lead to serious mass leaks of revenge porn. So no, I don't think copying Snapchat would be a smart move."

 

The photo-sharing platform Snapchat today has 191 million users globally, including nearly 9 million in India.

Facebook has reportedly copied several Snapchat features, including the most notable one called "Stories".

Snapchat on April Fools' Day had trolled Facebook by introducing a filter that makes it appear as if a Russian bot has liked your post.

The filter targeted Facebook following reports that said more than 50,000 bots on Facebook, with links to the Russian government, were used to influence the 2016 US Presidential election.

While redesigning Snapchat in 2017, Spiegel took a dig at Facebook.

"The company is redesigning its app to separate media and social communications, making it easier to use and understand," he said.

"We think this helps to guard against fake news and mindless scrambles for friends or unworthy distractions," Spiegel said, taking a dig at Facebook and Twitter.

The design overhaul, however, didn't go well with the Snapchat users and the company has reinstated most of the old design features.