Atlanta

Georgia Tech warns students about new Snapchat feature

ATLANTA — A new feature on Snapchat prompted a local university’s police department to alert students about being safe concerning their whereabouts.

Georgia Tech police tweeted about Snap Map, a feature added to the app last month.

Georgia Tech intern Mariam Chappelka told Channel 2’s Carol Sbarge she might try it for five minutes for the novelty, but would be concerned about keeping the feature. It shows a Snapchat user's followers exactly where they are when they use the app.

Intern Dorris Scott said it would make her uncomfortable to use that, even though she likes using Snapchat overall.

Georgia Tech professor Amy Bruckman said users need to consider the repercussions of sharing. Bruckman is the interim chair of interactive computing at Georgia Tech. She said app companies can often track your whereabouts, but making it so obvious to friends is something each Snapchat user needs to evaluate.

Some users say Snap Map is a fun way to keep up on what friends are doing. Bruckman said the best piece of advice is to be careful and make wise choices about who you share with.

Snapchat emphasizes the new feature is off by default for all users and it’s up to the individual if they want to use it. If someone activates Snap Map and then decides he or she doesn’t want it anymore, it is easy to turn off.