The mobile app Yik Yak allows users, mostly college students, to send anonymous messages that can be read by anyone with a smartphone within a 10-mile radius.
The free app has exploded in popularity on college campuses across America, as students use it to see what the community is saying and to share thoughts anonymously. Users can write up to 200 words in a post, called a “yak.” They can also reply to posts and vote a post up or down. A post that has been downvoted to -5 is then deleted.
But while Yik Yak grows more popular, it has also come under greater controversy, as various colleges have seen dozens of shooting and violence threats in recent months. The students who make the threats on the app are tracked down by police, arrested, and often face charges.
For instance, in early March, 19-year-old Matthew Mullen was arrested at Michigan State University within 45 minutes of posting a shooting threat on Yik Yak, according to local media.
