Snapchat’s Juneteenth filter prompts users to smile to break chains

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge In its latest filter blunder, Snapchat has debuted a Juneteenth filter that allows users to “smile and break the chains.” The filter was panned by critics on Friday morning for its tone deafness. Atlanta-based digital strategist Mark S. Luckie demonstrated the filter on Twitter, calling it “interesting.” The filter shows what appears to be an approximation of the Pan-African flag, and prompts the user to smile — a common trigger for animated Snapchat filters — causing chains to appear and then break behind the user. This SnapChat #Juneteenth filter is...um...interesting. Smile to break the chains? Okay then. pic.twitter.com/Wyob3kT3ew— Mark S. Luckie (@marksluckie) June 19, 2020 Juneteenth is the anniversary of the day in 1865 when... Continue reading…