Snapchat's Plan To Use Your Snaps To Advertise To You

Today it's come to our attention that Snapchat has a plan to use a system called "object recognition based photo filters." With this system, Snapchat would effectively scan the snaps you capture to find objects that they then match with their own database of recognition filters. A photo filter would be "associated with satisfaction of the object criteria," and you'd begin to receive "options" for editing these photos and/or receiving advertisements based on content.

The most base example of this filter system working in Snapchat includes an object with a brand. If you take a photo of a can of Pepsi, for example, you might get option to purchase a new set of stickers that come from the Pepsi company.

This system might even work in concert with the newly announced Snapchat X Bitmoji brand crossover in which personal stickers are made. You might, for example, take a photo of your face or the face of a friend, then Snapchat would match the face to the personalized Bitmoji sticker you've made in the past.

There's a Bitmoji app already available that can link to Snapchat as of this morning.

Above and below you're seeing images from USPTO listing 20160203586 as filed by Snapchat, Inc. and was first listed on July 16th, 2016.

The black and white bits come from the listing as illustrated by Snapchat, while the rainbow-puking sloth also comes from Snapchat, posted by the crew at a different time for a different reason.

At the moment there's a geo-filtration system built in to Snapchat which can use your phone's location data to send you content – based on nearby businesses, for instance.

Will you continue to use Snapchat if the app begins to scan your snaps for content, turning said content into coupons in the near future?

Is this any different from your search terms in Google being turned into content when you visit webpages about said content?