Snap, Inc., the maker of the Snapchat app, is eliminating a feature called “speed filter” that posted the speed of the user taking a photo through the app. The feature was criticized by many and is linked to several fatal accidents.
The decision to discontinue the feature that was introduced in 2013 was confirmed to NPR on Thursday by a spokesperson, though they did not address the safety concerns surrounding “speed filter.” Instead, they told the outlet that snapchatters aren’t using the feature very much anymore “and in light of that, we are removing it altogether.”
Although the move is welcomed by critics, they warn that it does not change the past.
“While this will no doubt serve the safety of the motoring public moving forward, it does not remedy Snapchat’s choice to create and distribute the speed filter in the past,” Michael Neff, a lawyer representing the families of those involved in crashes linked to the app told NPR. “We look forward to our day in court and pursuing justice for those who suffered unnecessary losses.”
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The speed filter has been linked to several crashes, including one in 2015 that led to the death of three women in Philadelphia, a fatal accident in Wisconsin in 2017 that happened after the app captured the users driving at 123 mph, and a 107 mph crash that led to brain damage for the driver of a vehicle that was crashed into by someone using the app.
As it received criticism, Snap capped the highest sharable speed at 35 mph and added a “Don’t Snap and drive” warning that appeared whenever the app was used. What precisely led the company to drop it is unclear, but it’s part of a wider movement within the tech industry towards proactive measures that seek to predict users’ actions and limit features that incentivize dangerous behavior.