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Due Date_______
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Snapchat isn't private. Period.
By Jose Pagliery @Jose_Pagliery October 10, 2014: 4:52 PM ET
The photo-sharing app Snapchat offers a false sense of privacy by promising it will erase photos.
In fact, numerous third-party apps save photos. Their mere existence undermines Snapchat's purpose.
And if these third-party apps are unsafe, Snapchat is too. An Internet storm brewing Friday offered a
prime example. One of those third-party services was supposedly hacked, according to Business Insider.
Misfits on the image-sharing website 4chan.org claim they hacked into a third-party app and stole
100,000 photos and videos. "Everyone who sends a message using Snapchat's service could be at risk,"
said Patrick Wardle, research director at security firm Synack.
Snapchat is adamant that its servers were not hacked. But that doesn't matter, because there's a
hole in their entire system. Computer security experts already reject the Snapchat platform. Critics have
previously noted that anyone can take a screenshot of an incoming photo -- or use a separate camera to
take a picture of the screen. But the hack of third-party apps reveals another flaw in Snapchat's platform - and questions the company's commitment to security, according to computer security researcher
Jonathan Zdziarski. One, Snapchat isn't doing enough to protect its software. That's why third-party apps
can essentially hack its platform. Two, Snapchat hasn't succeeded in convincing Apple and Google to
keep what are essentially "Snapchat hacks" out of their app stores.
Neither Apple (AAPL, Tech30) nor Google (GOOG) responded to questions about the matter.
Snapchat did not explain why others are so easily able to reverse engineer the company's software and
thwart its privacy features. Chris Wysopal, cofounder of security firm Veracode, said Snapchat should try
to ban these third-party apps. This is the kind of revelation that could question Snapchat's $10 billion
valuation. (On a related note, the company turned down a $3 billion buyout offer from Facebook.)
This episode also drew criticism from Snapchat competitor Wickr, an app that offers selfdestructing, encrypted messages. Wickr CEO Nico Sell noted that if Snapchat sent encrypted messages - that only get decrypted by the Snapchat app -- it could have blocked third-party apps and avoided this
entire fiasco. “They don't take security seriously," Sell said. "They could have fixed this with a technical
solution. For them to say, 'Oh our servers weren't breached' is irresponsible. “The whole idea of expiring
messages is laughable,” Zdziarski said.
1. What is the assertion of the text? In other words, what is the thesis? Where was it located?
2. Provide a summary of the text. Remember to capture the main ideas in a focused and concise manner.
Leave out unnecessary details.
3. What made the informational text credible? Provide text evidence.
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4. The text, “The whole idea of expiring messages is laughable,” demonstrates what kind of rhetorical
device?____________________ Why was it used?___________________________________________
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5. The word breached in paragraph 5 meansa. the breaking of waves
b. a gap made in a wall
c. create an opening d. to break a promise
Name___________________
Due Date_______
Period________
Flat
By Omeshan Naidoo
Twitter, youtube
Facebook, snapchat
the world use to be huge,
now it’s tiny and flat.
1. Determine the rhyme scheme.
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2. What is the tone of the poet towards technology?
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3. How does the imagery convey a theme?
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Connections
4. What do “Snapchat isn’t private. Period.” and “Flat” have in common?
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5. How are the two pieces different?
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6. Write a poem below about technology that contains an abab rhyme scheme. Also, use imagery and
simile to convey a theme.
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