Snapchat · Snap Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Contact List Collection

High severity Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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Recent governance activity Snapchat recorded 4 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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Document Record

What it is

Snapchat collects the names and phone numbers from your device's contact list if you grant permission, even for people who are not Snapchat users.

This analysis describes what Snapchat's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This means third parties who have not agreed to Snapchat's terms and have no relationship with Snap have their contact information collected and stored by the company.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Apr 19, 2026

Snapchat's privacy policy now includes expanded language describing how the platform collects, processes, and shares user data. The updated policy discloses additional practices and operational proce…

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Granting contact access allows Snapchat to collect personal data of individuals who have never consented to Snap's data practices, raising significant third-party privacy concerns.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Go to your phone's Settings, find Snapchat in your app list, tap Permissions or Contacts, and disable access to your contacts to prevent Snapchat from collecting your contact list.

How other platforms handle this

PlanetScale Medium

When you visit the Careers portion of our websites, we collect the information that you provide to us in connection with your job application. This includes but is not limited to business and personal contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history and other in...

American Airlines Medium

American does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children – persons under the age of 13, or another age if required by applicable law – other than when required to comply with the law or for safety and security reasons. Due to the nature of our Services, we may collect travel i...

GOAT Medium

We may collect information about your location, including precise geolocation information, when you use our Services. We use this information to provide location-based services, such as showing you products available in your area, and for other purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
if you provided access to your phone or third party platform contacts to make friending easier, you can change that later on in your app settings. Of course, if you do that, certain features and Services, like finding friends in your contact book, won't work.

— Excerpt from Snapchat's Snap Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

Collecting data about non-users without their consent raises compliance issues under GDPR (no lawful basis for non-user data subjects) and represents a risk area flagged by data protection authorities including the Irish DPC and UK ICO.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over deceptive or unfair data collection practices involving third-party personal data collected without consent.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Snap Privacy Policy
Entity
Snapchat
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 15, 2026
Last verified
March 15, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-000724
Document ID
CA-D-00102
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
67dbf285233c1f3d3d78dc9fd7134692038c2b66acb7f6b967deb1bf7a8e7886
Analysis generated
March 15, 2026 11:37 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Snapchat
Document: Snap Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-000724
Captured: 2026-03-15 11:37:34 UTC
SHA-256: 67dbf285233c1f3d…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/snapchat/snap-privacy-policy/contact-list-collection/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Snapchat's Contact List Collection clause do?

This means third parties who have not agreed to Snapchat's terms and have no relationship with Snap have their contact information collected and stored by the company.

How does this clause affect you?

Granting contact access allows Snapchat to collect personal data of individuals who have never consented to Snap's data practices, raising significant third-party privacy concerns.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Snapchat?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Snapchat.