Snapchat · Snapchat Terms of Service

Broad Royalty-Free Content License

High severity
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What it is

When you post anything on Snapchat — photos, videos, messages — you give Snap a permanent, free license to use, copy, modify, and distribute that content, including for advertising, anywhere in the world.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Your photos, videos, and other content posted to Snapchat can be used by Snap for advertising and commercial purposes globally without additional consent or compensation, for as long as the content remains on the platform.

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.
  • Delete Your Data
    Open Snapchat, go to your Profile, tap Settings, then Privacy Controls to limit data uses. To delete content or your account, visit accounts.snapchat.com and follow the account deletion flow.

How other platforms handle this

Shopify Medium

Shopify operates globally and may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own, including Canada, the United States, and other countries. We use standard contractual clauses and other lawful transfer mechanisms to facilitate these transfers in accordance with applic...

Calm Medium

If your Calm subscription has been provided to you by someone else, like your employer or a family member who invited you to use one of their dependent subscriptions, we may inform them that you have signed up for the subscription they offered you;

Apple Medium

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13, or equivalent minimum age depending on jurisdiction, without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete the informa...

See all platforms with this clause type →
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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

This means Snapchat could use your photos or videos in its own advertising or share them with business partners without paying you or asking again, and this right lasts as long as the content is on the platform.

View original clause language
By posting or otherwise making available any content on or through the Services, you grant Snap a worldwide, perpetual (or for the duration your content remains on the Services), royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, store, cache, use, copy, display, reproduce, adapt, edit, publish, modify, reformat, incorporate into other works, advertise, distribute, and promote the content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed). This license includes the right for Snap to make your content available to, and pass these rights along to, service providers with whom Snap has contractual relationships related to the provision of the Services, solely for the purpose of providing such Services.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates GDPR Art. 6(1) (lawful basis for processing — the breadth of the license may exceed what is necessary for service provision, straining the legitimate interest basis under Art. 6(1)(f)); GDPR Art. 5(1)(b) (purpose limitation); GDPR Art. 7 (conditions for consent, especially regarding minors); CCPA/CPRA §1798.140 (definition of 'sale' and 'sharing' of personal information — sublicensable content rights to third parties may constitute sharing); COPPA 16 CFR §312.5 (verifiable parental consent required before collecting personal information, including images/video, from children under 13). Primary enforcement: FTC (COPPA, FTC Act Section 5), CPPA (CCPA/CPRA), EU/EEA DPAs (GDPR). (2)

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has enforcement authority over unfair or deceptive trade practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, including overbroad content licensing disclosures and COPPA violations related to children's content.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
DMA
European Union
FCRA
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
GLBA
United States Federal
HIPAA
United States Federal
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
Snapchat Terms of Service
Entity
Snapchat
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 1, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002323
Document ID
CA-D-00103
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
2f21cc726a069b22113361866904347df10dce152d863d062e80dafa8ecf8f24
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Snapchat | Document: Snapchat Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-002323
Captured: 2026-04-01 14:23:12 UTC | SHA-256: 2f21cc726a069b22…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/snapchat/snapchat-terms-of-service/broad-royalty-free-content-license/
Accessed: April 29, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other provisions in this document

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