SOCIETY
At Snap, we believe we have a deep responsibility to build technology that strengthens human connection. Considerations around privacy, safety, and trust are embedded into every stage of our product lifecycle. From internal design reviews to external partnerships, these safeguards are not add-ons but core to how we operate and what we stand for. We expect the same level of commitment from our suppliers, advertisers, and brand partners.
KEY METRICS AND HIGHLIGHTS
90%
reduction in Community Guidelines enforcement times on average, enabling faster removal of violative accounts from Snapchat.
20 Million+
pieces of content removed for violating Snap’s Community Guidelines, helping keep the platform safe.
Improved
the actionability of escalations to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) by improving content reporting policies and protocols.
Our teams work tirelessly behind the scenes to enhance Snapchatters’ safety, privacy, and security, to foster an environment where they can spark joy and effortlessly connect with their close friends and family.
- Anil Antony, Director, Associate General Counsel, Safety & Law Enforcement
We consider the well-being of young people specifically teens at all stages of product and policy design,
implementation, and management.We work with a range of safety advocates, experts, and leaders, in order to discuss, review, test, and refine
products and policies before they launch.We communicate directly and openly with our community so Snapchatters understand our policies and the
consequences of violating them.We empower Snapchatters with discoverable, consistent, and easy-to-use tools and advice to stay safe.
We detect, remove, and enforce against content and behavior that violates our policies.
We strive to be transparent and timely in our work with law enforcement, policymakers, parents, and the public
while remaining committed to learning and improving.
We communicate honestly and openly : When you use Snap products and features, you share information with
us - it's our responsibility to help you understand how that information is used. If you're curious about how a
certain feature uses your data, Privacy by Product breaks things down a bit more. We also explain how features
use data right inside of our apps, and throughout our Support Site.You choose how to express yourself: We believe that privacy is essential to empowering self-expression.
We design with Privacy in Mind: New features go through an intense privacy review process we talk about
things, we debate them, and we work hard to build products and features we're proud of and enjoy using.You control your information: We provide easy ways to access and update your information, adjust how much
information you share with us and others, and request that we delete your information or your entire account.Deletion is our default: Snapchat aims to capture the feeling of hanging out with friends in person that's why
our systems are designed to delete Snaps and Chats with friends from our servers once they've been viewed or
have expired (depending on your settings).
We know that no single company can tackle online harms alone, which is why we’re actively collaborating across the tech industry, civil society, and government. These efforts, combined with our own platform safeguards, reflect a growing, collective commitment to making the internet safer for everyone, everywhere.
- Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety, Snap
At Snap, we design every product with the interconnected priorities of privacy, safety, and security in mind. These principles are embedded from the earliest concept stages through design, engineering, testing, launch, and ongoing support. Our goal is to thoughtfully balance privacy and safety — empowering Snapchatters to share what they choose, connect with friends, and have positive, secure experiences every time they open the app.
This work is made possible by a strong cross-functional culture. Teams across product, engineering, privacy, trust and safety, legal and policy, and design collaborate closely — not just to meet requirements, but to learn, adapt, and continuously improve. In 2024, we significantly reduced median response times across policy categories by an average of 90%, driven by expanded review capacity and more high-precision automation. We also introduced new safety measures — including stricter enforcement on violating usernames and display names, enhanced protections and reporting for Communities, and expanded in-app reporting options for media like voicenotes — all of which helped us respond more effectively to emerging risks and evolving technologies.
Our cross-functional Privacy by Design program brings together designers, engineers, data scientists, product managers, attorneys, privacy engineers, and other key stakeholders. Guided by our Privacy Policy and Privacy Principles, this team reviews how our apps, features, and services handle personal data, and works to minimize data collection and tailor its use as narrowly as possible. Every product undergoes rigorous internal review to ensure that privacy is considered from the very start.
In 2024, we strengthened this commitment through enhancements to tooling, transparency, and user control:
Improved the Download My Data experience to make it easier for Snapchatters to access and understand the information they’ve shared with us
Created a centralized Safeguards for Teens hub within our Family Safety Hub, outlining all of the protections we’ve built specifically for younger users and their caregivers
Increased our transparency around data use and how content is ranked across key surfaces, adding to the transparency pages we had already established for Ads, Spotlight, and Discover
Snap’s safety strategy is built on a multi-pronged framework. We design products to anticipate and reduce risk from the start and use advanced technologies to proactively help detect abuse. We give Snapchatters and their caregivers powerful tools to help manage their experience, including in-app reporting, privacy settings, and our Family Center. When issues arise, our safety teams aim to respond quickly. And we work closely with experts and partners around the world to educate and empower our community to stay safe online.
In 2024, we expanded our toolkit with new protections and proactive interventions. These include expanded in-app warnings, enhanced friending safeguards, simplified location-sharing controls, and improved blocking tools, all aimed at reinforcing the private, friend-based experience that sets Snapchat apart. These updates help deter unwanted contact, prevent sextortion scams, and support healthy online behaviors. We also launched our first Council for Digital Well-Being, inviting US teens to share their perspectives on the state of online life today.
We deliver hardened infrastructure, platforms, and developer tools such as static and dynamic code analysis tools and third-party code vulnerability scanners. These solutions enable Snap products and services to run securely, with enforced security controls and automated validation. We provide our workforce with resources to unlock a security mindset from the outset. This includes offering security assurance and review services to our developers, engineers, and vendors to ensure that our products are designed to meet our stringent security, privacy, and safety standards. Our detection and response function drives continuous visibility across external and internal threats, complemented by threat intelligence and proactive security testing to reinforce our defenses.
At Snap, meaningful impact starts with people. Through Snap Philanthropy, our mission is to expand access to STEAM education, open doors to career pathways in tech, and strengthen the communities where we live and work — all through the power of hands-on volunteering and service. In 2024, our team-based volunteering efforts brought thousands of Snap team members together in partnership with hyper-local nonprofit partners across hundreds of volunteer events, deepening our relationships with each other and our global communities.
In 2024, Snap team members dedicated over 8,500 hours of service across over 50 cities in 34 countries, advancing our global efforts around:
Access to Education
Mentorship and Career Pathways
Community Well-Being
LOOKING AHEAD
We plan to deepen partnerships with law enforcement agencies, safety advocates, and our Safety Advisory Board to address emerging harms and keep our communities safe. We intend to enhance Family Center and safety education resources, expand our transparency reporting practices, and learn from the Council for Digital Well-Being to inform how we evolve platform protections for teens and families.
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