Why Most Snapchat Users Are Breaking the Law Without Even Realising It

Publish Date
Tuesday, 29 March 2016, 1:28PM
Photo: iStock

Photo: iStock

Even if you're the biggest goody-two-shoes you may have been breaking the law. Daily even. #OOOOPS!

Snapchat. An app we visit daily could be causing you to break the law.

The UK government's culture minister, Ed Vaizey, has said that it is illegal to screenshot a Snapchat picture and pass it on without consent.

If the original sender was to report the person who shared the Snapchat, they could even face a prison sentence.

"Under UK copyright law, it would be unlawful for a Snapchat user to copy an image and make it available to the public without the consent of the image owner," the minister wrote on Parliament.uk.

"The image owner would be able to sue anyone who does this for copyright infringement.

"Snapchat photos are automatically deleted after 10 seconds. The Snapchat privacy policy states that if Snapchat is able to detect that a recipient has taken a screenshot of an image, they will try to inform the original poster.

"However, Snapchat advises users to avoid sending messages which they would not want to be saved or shared."

So, those naughty pics you're screenshotting may not be worth it!! 

"The disclosure of private sexual photographs or films without the consent of an individual who appears in them and with intent to cause that individual distress, is an offence under Section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015," he warned.

"Those convicted could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison."

Okay, okay we'll stop!!

 

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