More tech companies favor cooperating with police over protecting users’ privacy.
Many young people on social media avoid Facebook and other platforms that make use of their personal information, preferring to remain anonymous in their digital lives. But now at least one fan of an anonymous social media app has found out the hard way that such sites are not always so anonymous.
The social media app Yik Yak allows users to post comments anonymously on message forums, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But an arrest this week in Missouri following violent posts on the site has revealed the company’s practices regarding cooperation with law enforcement.
Protests have roiled the University of Missouri in Columbia, where racial incidents have angered Africa American student and their supporters. After pressure from the protests forced two high-ranking school administrators to resign, violent threats against African Americans began appearing on Yik Yak’s message boards.
While the messages were posted anonymously, it appears that the company handed over the user’s personal information to local police. On Wednesday, a 19-year old man from Lake St. Louis was arrested and confessed to police.
Yik Yak attempts to position itself as a safer space for young people to have open conversations, avoiding the scrutiny of parents, employers or other authorities. But while the app allows anonymous posts, the company does collect user information, including IP addresses and locations. The app’s privacy agreement notes that the company’s policy is to coorperate with law enforcement in providing them with such information.
Yik Yak even goes so far as to reserve the right to send authorities information even if they do not present a warrant. The company’s policy is to do in emergencies, when it deems a situation to be life threatening or when serious harm may otherwise result.
Social media companies are increasingly concerned about non-cooperation with authorities. After Edward Snowden reportedly used the encrypted webmail company Lavabit to send classified documents to reporters, the government asked the company for its user records. When Lavabit refused to comply, the company was forced out of business.
