When Snapchat met Yik Yak

The hybrid of Yik Yak and Snapchat has made its debut on campus.

Recently made available at Penn, Unseen is a social media application that allows college students to discover and connect with like-minded students by anonymously sharing photos and text with fellow students.

To use the app, students take a photo on their phones, add a caption and post it to their college's individual feed. Like with Yik Yak, students can vote up or vote down on posts and can comment anonymously. Unseen also includes a direct messaging feature, where users can privately message fellow posters or commenters. 

Unseen was built for college students. CEO Michael Schramm found that traditional social media, an integral part of the modern college experience, is limiting.

“What you put on Facebook and Twitter is a super-glossy version of who you are. It’s forced us to only share only the politically correct aspects of our life,” he said. “Unseen was created to unshackle our generation and allow us to say, be, and share whatever we want without fear of retribution, fallout or our reputation.”

Unseen sets itself apart from its peer applications by providing the ultimate security and by facilitating connections based on real interests. Unlike apps such as Snapchat or Kik, Unseen is truly anonymous. It does not require any contact information or collect geolocation data. Although Unseen’s feed is public, content cannot be traced back to an individual.

Other messaging apps store user data unencrypted on servers, leaving it vulnerable to third-party breaches or interceptions. The latest version of Unseen includes a direct messaging function that allows users to interchange fully encrypted images and texts, protected from hackers. As an added layer of security, messages self-destruct after viewing. The direct messaging function helps students bridge the gap between anonymity and acquaintance while maintaining absolute privacy.

“We go to the absolute extreme when it comes to technology and privacy,” Schramm said. “I’ve yet to see an anonymous app on the market that goes to the lengths that we go to protect students and their identity.”

Recently made available to every four-year college in the United States, Unseen is currently used on 150 college campuses across the country, with many more on a waiting list. The application is available for download at the Apple and Google App stores.

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