This app can prevent people from taking screenshots of your messages

Nope. No sir. Not a clue.

We've got no idea why you might want to send pictures to someone via an app that prevents the recipient from taking a screen shot of it.

Just like we haven't got the foggiest notion as to why its creators have called it Privates! (exclamation mark included), nor why their advertising uses the slogan "Protect your privates!"

Perhaps it's for those working in the secret services, needing to send confidential document information to their base of operations. Maybe it's for cyber sleuths eager to break the next big social justice story on Wikileaks. Or maybe it's for Millennials to send images of their genitalia to each other without fear of their fleshy snap being captured on screen.

Who knows.

The app features a number of security functions that can give users peace of mind that their privates are staying private:

• End-to-end encryption of all messages, whether picture or text, so only the intended recipient can read it
• Self-destructing messages, with a time limit that you can set from between 24 hours to just three hours
• Anti-screenshot measures, that create scenarios that will make it extremely difficult for the recipient from carrying out a screenshot - such as having to hold their phone upright, tap the screen with two thumbs and line the camera up with their face

Does it guarantee no one will be able to take a screenshot of your messages ever again? No - someone could work out a way around the features with a bit of effort or third party apps that record screen footage. But it's a neat attempt at providing another layer of security for your private messages.

Best practice: never use an internet-connected phone or camera to take a photo of something you don't want to end up on the internet. It's the only way to be safe. 

Privates! is currently only available for iPhone users.