Snapchat plays blame game after hack

The photo messaging application Snapchat, which allows users to post images, video and text on a time limited basis to a group of recipient users, has been hacked. The attraction of Snapchat, apart from not being Facebook and therefore somewhere teenagers can meet online without their parents having a clue about it, is in the 'Mission Impossible' nature of the service: your photo will self-destruct in 10 seconds. Well sort of, as users set the time limit up to 10 seconds that the snap will be viewable to the receiving group, after which they can no longer see it and Snapchat deletes the item from the servers. This kind of discrete time-limited approach has appealed to many, leading them to send perhaps more risque images than they would otherwise, certainly stuff of a more personal nature as their confidence is boosted by the self-destructive feel of security it provides. It is, let's be honest, a magnet for online flirts. It is also less than apologetic after being hacked, apparently preferring to play the blame game.