Drew Tetangco
- FaceApp is an app for mobile devices that could be used to alter images and portraits, depending on the “filter” that you might want to use
- The app became popular once again with their new “old age” filter, which was was popularized by celebrities
- Concerns regarding security has arisen again with fears of data being stolen from users of the app
Sharing pictures through social media is not a common sight. It could be of a family gather, a group picture of friends hanging out, or it could just be a picture of your face, where you took a “selfie.” Apps to enhance your picture is also available. There are numerous apps that you can use, and FaceApp is one of those apps.
FaceApp was made by Wireless Lab, who is based in Russia, and is an app that uses neural network technology that they call FaceApp AI, and is the one that enhances your pictures. Through FaceApp, it can make realistic transformations and even turn you into your opposite gender.
FaceApp became popular once again after they added an “old age” filter, and numerous celebrities like the Jonas Brothers and Drake, but another concern has risen because of this.
From a news report made by The New York Times, there were concerns that the Russian developers might be spying on their users, and there were some that encouraged people to uninstall the app immediately. It was also mentioned that within the app’s own privacy policy, there was a section where “third-party analytics tools to help us measure traffic and usage trends.”
According to the same report, though, there were a few experts that looked into the app and said that all FaceApp takes from the end user is their phone model, phone ID, and operating system version. It was also mentioned that pictures used in the app are not sent to Russia, but to a temporary cloud storage, operated by Amazon and Google, and are deleted after 48 hours.
Using apps to change your appearance can be fun, but it wouldn’t hurt to check for the permissions that you give it, as it may lead to same scare that FaceApp unexpectedly brought.
Also read: Instagram Joins the Fight Against Online Bullying
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