User behavior protected by free speech, says Snapchat boss

Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel says there is a need to be a balance between moderating social media platforms and users’ free speech.

Spiegel launched Snapchat while studying at Stamford University. He became one of the world’s youngest billionaires at the age of 25.

Snapchat is one of the popular social media platforms, having almost 250 million daily users in October.

Spiegel gave an interview to an international news agency. He said thatusers need to be allowed to express themselves – even when they say inappropriate things.

But he also said that Snapchat was taking a “proactive approach” to content posted on it.

Moreover, he also said that a “proactive approach” to content posted on it.

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He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program, “We’ve definitely taken a proactive approach to the content that’s distributed on Snapchat, but at the same time, you know, should platforms be responsible?” 

“For example, for telephone calls, I would say no – if you pick up the phone, and you say something inappropriate and outrageous to your friends, the telephone company isn’t responsible for what your friend said, your friend is responsible.”

Furthermore, he also said that it was significant to maintain a balance between reaching a vast audience and providing people a space for free speech.

“We do want to make sure that our platform is the place where people can express themselves and even though they say inappropriate things sometimes, our government actually has a whole legal framework to protect that sort of self-expression and free speech,” he said.