02-02-2016, 06:46 PM
Social Media Controversy
Some case followers are contending that 13-year-old Nicole was too young to be on Facebook and using apps like Kik. Kik is a smartphone messenger app that allows users anonymity.
Authorities believe Nicole Lovell may have met David Eisenhauer, 18, on smartphone messenger app Kik.
The app, which was founded in 2009 by a group of University of Waterloo students, grants its users anonymity as unlike others, it doesn't require a working phone number - just a unique username.
This, according to the app's website, is so 'users are always in complete control of who they talk to on Kik.'
However, the app’s anonymity makes it a minefield when it comes to solving crimes, such as child exploitation, bomb threats and terrorism.
It allows users to search for others by age and send photographs that are not stored on phones – making it popular with pedophiles and predators and the bane of law enforcement.
Ted Livingston, the start-up’s founder and chief executive, has said the service, which has 240million users, reaches roughly 40 per cent of Americans aged 13 to 25.
The free app uses native advertising - including video advertisements - to earn revenue. To target its primarily young audience, it also offers advertisers the chance to reach consumers using branded GIFs.
However, in a guide for law enforcement, Kik says names, emails and ages do not allow the company to find user accounts - the exact username is required. They will, however, preserve data for a period of 90 days, pending receipt of a valid order from law enforcement.
Ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z3z3LEz0XH
Some case followers are contending that 13-year-old Nicole was too young to be on Facebook and using apps like Kik. Kik is a smartphone messenger app that allows users anonymity.
Authorities believe Nicole Lovell may have met David Eisenhauer, 18, on smartphone messenger app Kik.
The app, which was founded in 2009 by a group of University of Waterloo students, grants its users anonymity as unlike others, it doesn't require a working phone number - just a unique username.
This, according to the app's website, is so 'users are always in complete control of who they talk to on Kik.'
However, the app’s anonymity makes it a minefield when it comes to solving crimes, such as child exploitation, bomb threats and terrorism.
It allows users to search for others by age and send photographs that are not stored on phones – making it popular with pedophiles and predators and the bane of law enforcement.
Ted Livingston, the start-up’s founder and chief executive, has said the service, which has 240million users, reaches roughly 40 per cent of Americans aged 13 to 25.
The free app uses native advertising - including video advertisements - to earn revenue. To target its primarily young audience, it also offers advertisers the chance to reach consumers using branded GIFs.
However, in a guide for law enforcement, Kik says names, emails and ages do not allow the company to find user accounts - the exact username is required. They will, however, preserve data for a period of 90 days, pending receipt of a valid order from law enforcement.
Ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z3z3LEz0XH