The anonymous chat app Yik Yak is back from the dead

Anonymous messaging apps were all the rage in the mid-2010s, one of the most popular at the time, but now it’s back from the dead. A new version has arrived on the iOS App Store.

Yik Yak is only available in the US and iPhone at the moment, because notes, but it will soon expand to other regions and devices. As before, this is a message board app that connects you with other people within a five mile radius. However, this localized aspect, along with the fact that users can post anonymously, have led to reports of widespread bullying and harassment () on Yik Yak in middle and high schools and elsewhere.

The developers of the Risen Yik Yak seem to be aware of the problem. In addition to mental health resources and tips for staying safe, the app’s website features many “.”

Yik Yak does not allow users to post personal information or engage in any type of intimidation, harassment, fanaticism or threats. Users are also not allowed to promote or encourage suicide or self-harm. “Overly graphic violent representations”, spam, fake news, dissuading others from voting in elections, and trolling are also prohibited. While community management is a difficult problem to solve, and anonymity adds an additional hurdle to enforcing the rules, banning a wide range of harmful content from the start is a positive step.

After Yik Yak closed in 2017, in part because many of its users switched to other apps like Snapchat, Square bought some of the app’s intellectual property and hired several engineers. It is not yet clear who is behind the new version.

Although Yik Yak and its other anonymous messaging app, image-based images have remained in place since 2012. It’s good that Whisper has its own issues to deal with, such as (including identifiable location data) in a database open to everyone for years.