DLTD Privacy Label

Snapchat

snapchat.com
D
4/5
Privacy checks passed
social

This site leans hard on your data.

4/5 checks · 4 third parties · 2 cookies · capped at D

Grade capped · Surveillance-advertising business model

Snapchat's parent Snap earns about 96% of its revenue from advertising. A clean marketing site can’t change that — and a homepage scan can’t see what the app does once you log in — so this grade can’t rise above a D.

Why this grade is capped · sourced, not vibes

FTC deception settlementSerious

Snapchat settled with the FTC in 2014 over deceiving users about its 'disappearing' messages and secretly collecting location and contact data.

Source: FTC settlement with Snapchat, May 2014 (20-year privacy-program order)

4.6M users exposedModerate

A weakness in its 'Find Friends' feature let attackers compile a database of 4.6 million Snapchat usernames and phone numbers.

Source: Snapchat 'Find Friends' breach, 2014 (cited in FTC complaint)

What Snapchat does with your data

It drops third-party cookies that can trail you from one site to the next.

Sets 2 third-party cookies

Your connection is encrypted, so others on your network can’t read what you send.

Serves over HTTPS and enforces it (HSTS)

Few outside companies load with the page, so your visit isn’t broadcast widely.

Contacts 4 third-party domains on load

None of the trackers it contacts are on our high-risk watchlist.

Contacts no high-risk / adversarial-state domains

It isn’t a registered data broker.

Not a registered data broker

Last scored 6/3/2026

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