Avid Snapchat users may have realized that one of the app's oldest features — the speed filter — is no longer available. After being added to the app back in 2013, Snapchat has decided to remove the speed filter with little comment as to why. However, as some have pointed out, it's likely in response to building criticism the filter's received for possibly encouraging dangerous driving.

Filters have long been one of the main draws to Snapchat. When taking a photo or video in the app, users can apply filters to give their content a creative look. This includes vintage photo effects, sparkles, ones with users' custom Bitmoji, and location-based filters that change depending on where someone is. With the now-removed speed filter, Snapchat would display how fast the person was going when the shot was taken — allowing people to add humor to their posts when stuck in traffic or moving especially fast on a plane or train.

Related: Why TikTok's Tagging Dangerous Tesla Autopilot & Self-Driving Videos

As of June 2021, however, the speed filter is no more. A Snapchat spokesperson confirmed the news to NPR, saying that the feature was "barely used by Snapchatters." More importantly than that, Snapchat's faced mounting backlash against the feature in the years since its debut. Snapchat also told NPR that "Nothing is more important than the safety of our Snapchat community," and, "in light of that, we are removing it altogether."

Why The Snapchat Speed Filter Was So Controversial

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A speed filter may not sound dangerous at first, but the way it's been used by some individuals has resulted in serious consequences. In 2015, for example, a Georgia driver using the speed filter was involved in an accident that resulted in permanent brain damage. Similar accidents happened in 2016 and 2017, with five people in Florida and three people in Wisconsin being killed in car accidents after reportedly using the same filter.

While Snapchat certainly didn't force people to use the speed filter while driving, it's repeatedly been brought up that the filter's existence encourages people to drive recklessly. Snapchat has taken numerous steps over the years to limit its use, including moving it to the 'stickers' section and limiting its top driving speed to 35 mph, but many have continued to call for its removal altogether. As Lawery Michale Neff says, "While this will no doubt serve the safety of the motoring public moving forward, it does not remedy Snapchat's choice to create and distribute the speed filter in the past."

For what it's worth, Snapchat isn't the only app people have used while recklessly driving. In May 2021, TikTok had to start adding warning labels to videos of people abusing Tesla's Autopilot system so that it operates without anyone behind the wheel. Similar videos have been shared on Instagram, with one person in California being arrested after sharing such clips. It's hard to say what it'll take to stop this content altogether, but at the very least, the removal of the speed filter is a step in the right direction.

Next: Can Snapchat See Your Snaps? What You Need To Know

Source: NPR