There are many uses for the Snapchat app—spanning from sending a wacky picture to a friend to the more explicit reasons. For those of you who use it for the latter, new research from Decipher Forensics should incite a bit of worry.
On May 8, researchers from the Orem, Utah-based company said they had figured out a way to successfully retrieve the photos sent using Snapchat. This is new territory for Snapchat users since photos usually disappear 10 seconds after they are seen.
The company says it has access to special forensics software that can recover the lost pictures. The cost to use the software? $300 to $500.
“This type of information can be very valuable in any investigation, especially one involving exploitation of a minor,” said Lead Examiner at Decipher Forensics Richard Hickman. “This research will help law enforcement officials retrieve what has been believed to be unrecoverable.
The company also issued a press release:
“The average person cannot turn on their phone and find these pictures, though. It takes special forensics software at this point. Digital forensics companies like Decipher Forensics have the available tools to find these pictures and provide them to clients. Decipher Forensics is offering not only to law enforcement, but to the general public, its services in retrieving Snapchat pictures.”
This new technology comes at a time when teens and college students grow more and more appreciative of an app that can automatically erase possible mistakes.
“This cohort has grown up with the expectation of surveillance by people who hold direct power over them,” said Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research Dana Boyd. “It’s not about surveillance (by) companies or the state. It’s surveillance (by) their teachers, their college admissions officers, their parents.”
Currently, the service is only available for phones using the Android platform. However, Hickman said Thursday the company is working to bring the software to the iPhone.
