In its ongoing efforts to create technology that serves humanity, Snapchat continues to leave its mark as a platform that cares for the community.
In its 3rd annual CitizenSnap Report, the platform said, “At Snap, our mission is to contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. Snap is built around our core values of being kind, smart, and creative.”
“From the beginning, we have designed these values into our products and into the way we treat our team, our communities, and our partners. And as we evolve and grow, we hold steadfast in upholding our mission and our values, never losing sight of our foundation,” Snap added.
In the ‘Society’ portion of the report, Snap said it leveraged its platform to help people cope with mental illness, civic engagement, and promote causes and socially beneficial initiatives.
Snapchat reported that it launched ‘Heads Up,’ an in-app education platform that provides users with reliable information and tools when they search for common drug-related phrases and slang.
Snap also launched ‘Run for Office Mini,’ an in-app tool that allows Snapchatters in the US to run for political office in their neighborhood based on the causes that matter to them. The tool has had over 4.5 million users since its inception.
Snap further reported donations of over $9 million in Snapchat advertising to non-profits and $4.5 million to organizations focusing on ensuring that the marginalized youth have equitable access to education and professional opportunities.
Snap said the platform has devoted over 6,870 volunteer hours to Snap Philanthropy projects, supporting 162 community organizations in 61 cities across 21 countries.
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For the ‘Planet’ pillar, Snap reported having continued working towards a more sustainable planet by up-leveling climate commitments, conserving natural resources, and reducing waste.
Snap reported the conduct of its first scenario analysis in line with The Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations.
According to the report, Snap partnered with its cloud storage providers to optimize how data is stored on the network to keep carbon emissions neutral despite its 20% increase in daily active users.
The report also said Snap had sourced 100% renewable electricity at its workplace, expanding its purchases to encompass offices worldwide and electricity consumed by team members working from home or remotely.
Snap said it stays committed to achieving net negative carbon emissions by 2030.
In the ‘People’ segment, Snap reported sticking to its quest to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace to strengthen its culture and encourage innovation.
Snap stated in the report that it led significant initiatives to inspire empathy, reform systems, and increase accountability in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The report also said that Snap aided its employees by giving best-in-class benefits and resources and increasing the number of mental health sessions covered for each US team member and their family from 16 to 25.
Snap has also reportedly expanded its training and development services, with new options ranging from leadership to allyship to Snap values training. Snap team members had over 55,000 hours of training and development in total.
For its ‘Governance’ initiatives, Snap strives to retain a diverse and experienced Board of Directors. Snap said its tax policy aims to pay fair taxes in the places it operates and position it as a responsible member of those communities.
Snap has released a revamped Global Code of Conduct that codifies the high standards it holds itself to every day. The company has also increased the automation of its due diligence processes and screening that covers 100% of identified third parties for potential conflicts of interest, fraud, and abuse.
Based on the report, Snap continued to avoid operating in tax havens and having any untaxed stateless or ‘nowhere’ income. In jurisdictions where it has significant business operations, profits are fully taxable.
Snap’s Transparency Reporting also had updates, including new information on the content it enforced against drug-related offenses and a new category for reporting data on occasions where its teams concluded that a Snapchatter might be in crisis.
In addition to these new features in its Transparency Report, Snap’s data shows a decline in two critical areas: the Violative View Rate (VVR) and the number of accounts enforced that attempted to propagate hate speech, violence, or harm,
Snap has also identified 199 total enterprise-level risks. Many of these are ESG-related risks, including those to privacy, trust, and safety. According to the report, Snap assigns these risks to an executive sponsor to oversee.
Snap’s Board of Directors also maintained a 50% female representation and raised Black, Indigenous, and People of Color participation to 25% of Independent Directors.
Snapchat is a global community of 600 million+ people with an average of 300 million daily active users.
The platform released its inaugural Citizen Snap Report in 2020 to explain better how the platform runs the company and assists its team, community, and partners.
Snapchat Co-Founder and CEO said, “As we continue to learn, grow, and iterate, we have published a report every year to increase transparency and hold ourselves publicly accountable in these areas.”
You can find a copy of the complete 2022 CitizenSnap Report here.
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
