Snapchat removes controversial feature amidst concerns of reckless driving

Snap, the company behind the Snapchat social app, confirmed it has finally decided to remove a popular feature called “speed filter” from the iOS and Android apps. Originally introduced back in 2013, the speed filter feature faced a lot of critique from many users since it was believed to encourage reckless driving.

The speed filter is meant to capture how fast a Snapchat user is moving and then allows them to share the information with friends. NPR reports that many non-profit organizations, as well as families of teenagers involved in deadly car crashes sued Snap in an attempt to force the company to remove the feature.

However, Snap managed to defend its speed filter in court until now and it only decided to remove it from the app because it's no longer popular, so it's not worth spending more resources in defending it.

In one of the most recent lawsuits against Snap, Californian lawyer Naveen Ramachandrappa wrote that some Snapchat teenage users race each other thinking that the company would reward them with digital prizes and trophies for recording a speed above 100 miles per hour.

To try and avoid these lawsuits, Snap tweaked the speed filter recently. First, the company turned the feature from a filter into to a sticker, and added a “Don't Snap and drive” warning. Furthermore, Snap capped the top speed that users can share at 35 mph, although it appears that this specific change was imposed.

Now that the speed filter is no longer popular, it looks like Snap is ready to get rid of it. Still, it will take some weeks before the feature will completely disappear from the app.