Social network Path launched version 3.0 of its iOS app last week but how it went depends very much on who you read and what you value: Wired slammed 3.0 as a “privacy disaster”, while TechCrunch reports that the company made more money in the first 24 hours of 3.0’s launch than it had in its entire life time.
Wired’s criticism focuses on the new private messaging feature of 3.0, which allows users to send one to one or group messages. This means you can send messages to people you aren’t friends with, they can’t opt out and users can find any other user with a second-degree connection. That may sound fairly minor but Path has built its reputation on intimacy and privacy – it is regularly classed the “private social network” and only allows users to add 150 friends, with Wired claiming that many people use it for precisely this reason.
What’s more, the company recently got fined by the FTC for collecting information from children under 13, which makes it sensitive to accusations over privacy.
On the other hand, 3.0 has clearly been a success financially, thanks to a new Shop where users can buy virtual stickers to add to their messages. What’s more Path founder Dave Morin told TechCrunch that more than 1m messages were sent by users in the first 24 hours of 3.0.
The two differing reports are not contradictory of course: an app can easily be a “privacy disaster” and bring in money. But it remains to be seen what the long-term reaction will be to 3.0 among Path users.
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