Snapchat's New Filters Are For A Good Cause

By now, you're no doubt used to Snapchat's blink-and-you'll-miss-it practice of rotating lenses, but trust me — you won't want to miss Tuesday's options. On December 1st, Snapchat's (RED) filters raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention in honor of World AIDS Day. Created in partnership with Tiesto, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jared Leto, the filters launched at midnight on Tuesday, and their premise is simple: For every snap sent using one of the limited-edition filters, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to donate $3 to (RED), a nonprofit organization devoted to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

According to (RED), just $3 can provide up to ten days of HIV/AIDS medication in sub-Saharan Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is at its height, and the Gates Foundation estimates that if people actually use the (RED) filters, they could raise as much as $3 million. Fortunately, doing your part is incredibly easy. The filters are location-based geofilters, so all you have to do is take a picture, swipe until you find one of the (RED) options, and voila! You've got yourself a snap that makes you look cute and, much more importantly, can help fight HIV/AIDS, which affects an estimated 35 million people worldwide. Just don't forget to send the picture; the donation only works if you actually send the snap to someone.

Unfortunately, the (RED) filters are only around for 24 hours, so gear up your selfie face for some serious Snapchatting today. If you don't get the chance to Snapchat as much as you'd like, though, don't fret — the organization has teamed up with plenty of other companies to raise money, including Uber, GAP, and Ticketmaster. That being said, Snapchat is probably the easiest option out there, since it just requires the push of a button and a few swipes of a finger. Who knew that your selfie skills could be used for such a good cause?

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