[“Sexting” is rarely a good idea. It’s even rarer that it’s safe]
Facebook has released (yet another) app – this one is called “Poke“.
Currently available on Apple iOS devices (coming soon to Android) the Poke app echoes back to the good old days of Facebook when “Poking” someone was a daily annoyance, the new standalone app brings a variety of functionality to a quick tap.
The general idea is that, messages sent using the app will disappear in a user set amount of time – up to 10 seconds. Yes, “This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds”.
Basically, there’s nothing left in your chat history.
Users can add video or a picture to their vanishing messages too. Of course the message recipient can take a screenshot of the message but Facebook claims that the sender will be notified if a screenshot is taken.
Strangely though, actual pokes sent through the message don’t seem to disappear.
Obviously aimed at a younger, tween audience, Poke is fast paced and you have to be pretty well glued to your phone to hold any kind of a vanishing conversation.
There has been an app called Snapchat which has been around for a while and has offered some of the same functionality. Of course, Snapchat wasn’t created by and in line with Facebook.
What do you think? Encouraging “safer sexting” or protecting privacy?
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