Today FaceApp has returned to the public by unveiling a retooled version of its old age filter. Across the internet, celebrities can be seen sharing their golden years looks. Among such celebrities were the Jonas Brothers, Terry Crews, Dwyane Wade and Drake who took to the app to try on a few decades. Countless other people also took the opportunity to age themselves and looking at the results it’s hard to blame them.
HIGHLIGHTS
- FaceApp is an app by a Russian company. Using an age filter, it shows users how they will look after 40 years.
- In the last one week, over 150 million people have used the app.
- Responding to privacy concerns, FaceApp says it is completely safe and that it only collects minimal data from users.
Launched in 2017, FaceApp started trending online after it became really easy to use. The app can edit photos to put a smile on your face, make you look younger, or even show you what you might look like if you were of the opposite gender.
The app is available on both iOS and Android but this is not a free app. After three days you have to pay to use the app on iOS. In India, the app’s price is Rs 1,699 per year.
However, it doesn’t seem like much has changed there since the last time it went viral as the app from Russian tech company Wireless Lab comes loaded down with privacy concerns. At that time too, privacy expert David Vaile told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about the problem.
Why you should be wary of using FaceApp
FaceApp’s privacy policy notes its affiliates and service providers “may transfer information that we collect about you, including personal information across borders and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world.”
He said, “They ask for way more rights than they need to offer the service to you, [they] can remove the data from any effective legal protection regime, share it with almost anyone, and retain it indefinitely. It is impossible to tell from this what happens when you upload it, that is the problem. The license is so lax. They can claim you agree they can send to wherever they like to whoever they like, and so long as there is some connection, [they can] do a lot of things with it.”
Also, the terms and services of FaceApp regarding users’ faces and private data are a matter of concern. The license terms of the app state that by using this app, the customer is granting the provider permission to use their photos, name, username, and likeness for any purpose, including commercial purposes.
App developer Joshua Nozzi has warned that FaceApp can upload photos beyond the ones that you provide to it directly, however other security experts have questioned this claim.
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