Snapcash remains unpopular among students
When Snapcash was introduced on Nov. 17, 2014, many students immediately had negative reactions. Unlike the “Snapchat Story” feature that also received many disapproving comments when first released but is now very popular among Staples students, Snapcash still has very few supporters.
“I don’t know anyone in school who uses Snapcash because I don’t know anyone who transfers money online,” Kyle Ratner ’16 said. Most people in Staples exchange money in cash only and therefore have no need for this feature. “
Many students also feel that there are certain basic problems with the safety of this feature. “I feel like someone could hack into your account and steal your money or if someone else is using your phone they could send themselves money,” Sophie Mafilios ’15 said.
But the Snapchat team knew that these concerns would arise. They teamed up with Square, a financial services and mobile payment company that provides easy credit card processing, in hopes of providing more security for Snapcash users.
On the Snapchat website they wrote, “We set out to make payments faster and more fun, but we also know that security is essential when you’re dealing with money. Square has a ton of experience in this area and our teams have been hard at work to make Snapcash a great experience for everyone.”
Despite these security measures, the idea of giving the Snapchat app credit card information still concerns students, especially because there have been security hacks in the past. According to BBC News, in late 2013, the private information of 4.6 million Snapchat users was downloaded by hackers and posted online for a short time.
With such a security breach, it is hard for many people to trust this app with more personal information.
“It’s sketchy and the idea of sending people money over a social media app that you can’t completely trust is ridiculous,” Emily Macdonald ’16.
Many students don’t see much use in the additional features that Snapchat provides beyond communication. “I think it should go back to the way it was,” Mafilios ’15 said.
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