Facebook is working on its own version of self-destructing messaging app Snapchat with a new short video messaging app, “Slingshot,” according to new reports.
Mark Zuckerberg is supervising an internal project to build a competing video and photo sharing app, according to the Financial Times.
According to “unnamed sources,” the as yet unconfirmed mobile app will boast a simple user interface similar to Tap Talk. Through the app users can tap and hold a contact’s profile picture to send a photo or a short video that can only be viewed once by the recipient.
Slingshot clearly seeks to take advantage of a growing preoccupation with privacy in texts, images and videos. Snapchat kick started this trend by promising users the ability to send photos that could disappear as soon as they were received, though it has recently faced criticism over falsely claiming that its messages would completely self-destruct.
Facebook was rumoured to have attempted to purchase Snapchat for $3 billion at the end of last year.
Back in February, Zuckerberg’s company spent a whopping £11.39bn ($19bn) on WhatsApp, a sum that demonstrates how serious Facebook is about bolstering its communication features.
Source: FT.com
