By Jacob Collins |Staff Writer|

Snapchat will begin locking accounts connected to third party apps after a leak which resulted in about 200,000 private photos being leaked online in what was dubbed “the snappening.”

This comes in conjecture with an updated privacy policy and a new service called Snapcash.

Third party apps are services that use Snapchat without being the official app. The apps are against their terms of use, according to Snapchat.

Snapchat has started sending e-mail notices to users suspected of using third party applications to change their password and discontinue use of third party apps or risk their accounts becoming permanently locked.

“We will notify Snapchatters when we have detected that they may be using third-party apps and we’ll ask those Snapchatters to change their password and stop using unauthorized apps,” stated Snapchat in an online blog post.

When students were asked if they used Snapchat or third-party apps, most either didn’t use Snapchat or third-party apps.

“I have a Snapchat account, but don’t go on it that often. I don’t have any [third -party] Snapchat apps,” said CSUSB student Joshua Segura.

According to Snapchat, the app collects information ranging from usage information to location data.

The information Snapchat collects is used for targeted advertising, analyzing market trends and other uses, according to the Snapchat privacy policy.

Most information collection can be disabled in the app’s settings.

Snapchat shares some of the information it collects with a mobile ad company called Flurry for targeted advertisement. The shared information is anonymous and is not tied to your identity.

Information such as your e-mail address, debit/credit card info and associated information (if you use the Snapcash service) is collected. As well as information pertaining to the “snaps” that you send, which includes a lot of information about how you use Snapchat.

Information about your device such as its unique identifier is also collected.

If your account is deleted, Snapchat “may retain certain information in backup for a limited period of time or as required by law,” according to their privacy policy.

This month Snapchat announced a new service in connection with Square, a mobile pay provider, called Snapcash.

“The product you’re seeing today is fast, fun, and incredibly simple. After you enter your debit card, it’s securely stored by Square, who will swiftly process your payment and send cash directly to your friend’s bank account.

Just swipe into chat, type the dollar sign, an amount (e.g. $11.25), and hit the green button,” stated Snapchat in a company blog post.

Snapchat has begun enforcing their third-party app policy and is planning the deployment of Snapcash.