Signal Summer 2019 Newsletter

14 www.alliancecom.net Teens Use Hidden Apps to Conceal Data By trying to protect their privacy, they leave themselves open to threats Hiding in Plain Sight You’ve probably heard of apps such as Snapchat that erase data within a certain timeframe of receiving or send- ing it. Messages and photos disappear without a trace within minutes of being created. However, there’s another type of app that doesn’t remove data, but merely hides it. These so-called hidden apps are designed to mask the data that’s stored on the phone. You can only see what’s in them if you know they’re there and how to access them. Like a secret door that leads to a hidden passageway, hidden apps are apps that look innocuous but are actually used to hide pictures and messages that teens do not want their parents to see. While vir- tually any app can be hidden, photo vault apps that contain pictures and videos are the most commonly used apps for this purpose—and they’re not as safe as the teens using them may think. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Most teens today interact through the apps on their phones, exchanging mes- sages and pictures constantly. Although there is undoubtedly a certain thrill in outwitting parents and teachers, using these apps to hide sensitive data does not necessarily keep the information Anyone with a smartphone wants control over who sees the content on it, and for teens, that desire for privacy and autonomy is especially strong. However, the lengths some teens go to in order to protect their phone’s data from parents can actually put them in danger and expose them in ways they never anticipated.