Snapchat has gained worldwide popularity with its disappearing multimedia message app. Nowadays, Snapchat is regarded as a technology that helps users, mostly teenagers, to send selfies that disappear for a period of time. However, a similar app is now targeting corporate users who may want a similar self-destruct option for their business communications.
Confide, a text-based iPhone app released Wednesday, is aimed at professionals who want to talk about sensitive topics without leaving a trail. “Think about the times when someone sends a memo that says, ‘Confidential, Do Not Forward,’ or when someone asks for your personal e-mail to go off the company’s network,” said Jon Brod, the co-founder of Confide and a former AOL executive.
Here is how Confide works: messages disappear once they are read and a swiping option prevents users from taking screenshots which is one vulnerability in Snapchat.
Confide is described as your “off-the-record messenger”, on iTunes. However, it is up to users to abide by laws and regulations governing proper business documentation, said Mr. Brod. There appears to be a growing appetite for apps that offer communications with impermanence.
Snapchat, which allows users to share photos or videos for a pre-determined number of seconds, now has tens of millions of users in the U.S. and Canada. It’s a strong following which likely prompted social media giant Facebook to offer a reported US$3-billion buyout (which Snapchat’s CEO declined). The company itself recently raised about $50-million at a $2-billion valuation, although there was speculation that its latest funding round would be based on at least a $3-4 billion valuation.