Work in progress – event developing
Overview
The Snappening refers to a supposed ongoing mass leak of approximately 200,000 nude Snapchat photos and videos. Since around half of Snapchat users are thought to be under the age of 17, it is suspected that the leak may contain child pornography. It is currently unclear whether or not it is a hoax.
Background
A third-party Snapchat client app had been collecting data sent through it for several years, eventually storing up over 13GB of media that Snapchat users had thought were deleted.[1]
The term “Snappening” was coined by the userbase of 4chan in reference to The Fappening, a similar event in which the nude photos of hundreds of celebrities were leaked by a hacker.
Notable Developments
Snapsave, a third-party app, was identified as the most likely source of the leakings. SnapSaved.com (no longer functional) was suggested as another possible source.[2]
Snapchat promptly issued a statement condemning unauthorized third-party apps and people who had chosen to use them.[3]
Search Interest
External References
[1]Business Insider – Snapchat Photos And Videos Intercepted By Hackers
[2]Channel 4 – What is the Snappening – and will it really ‘snappen’?
[3]VentureBeat – Who’s to blame for the ‘Snappening?’ You are.