6 security questions about FaceApp
An app that promises us to ‘sweep the world’ is making a big splash in the social media world. There are, though, some still unanswered questions about it. Nevertheless, FaceApp’s popularity makes it necessary to clear up some concerns.
Companies don’t usually have strong terms of use, but having one could give your users peace of mind. Some people claim that the company might be able to gain access to a giant database of the world’s photographic material and distribute it through the internet. The privacy and security questions surrounding this are not under investigastion.
Many questions come to mind when you’re considering downloading a new app. The BBC helps answer some of these key questions before installing the app.
What is FaceApp?
As the app became more popular, there were strong reactions. While many argued that it was a helpful tool for social interactions, others took offense because of the feelings it stirred up. There have also been some concerns about exactly how this transformation could occur. But not just that, it can add the necessary crown or put a wide smile on the person concerned. It’s also able to do things like giving age dimension to a person or putting on eyeglasses and sunglasses. These are done with artificial intelligence, using an algorithm that takes the image of a face and modifies it based on other images. This might raise some users’ security questions.
What’s the problem?
As the BBC notes, many people expressed concern when developer Joshua Nozi tweeted that FaceApp was uploading photos from users’ smartphones without asking for permission. A French cybersecurity researcher found that no mass uploading was taking place when the claim was made. The condition of a photograph is not confirmed by the app’s administrator.
How is facial recognition done?
Some people believe that FaceApp is possibly using your data to train their facial recognition algorithm – even after you’ve deleted your photo. This is done as long as the photo dimensions are kept. The company’s CEO, however, categorically denies this. They use their photos for a very different reason and making it clear that this is all they’re doing.
Then why is it required to upload the photo?
Editing the photos on your smartphone is a difficult task. There are many cases where doing so would be difficult and require special skills to perform. If it’s such a hard task, you probably shouldn’t expect an app to solve the issue for you. There’s no need for you to worry about the servers. Server in the United Stateshey have hosted them. The developers of this new app claim that it makes it harder for competitors to copy their model by not sharing the algorithm. However, some people think that this could simply be about an app’s success instead of its usefulness. For her part, attorney Elizabeth Potts Weinstein noted that the app’s terms of use indicate that users’ photos can be used for commercial purposes (such as the app’s own ads). Although Lance Ulanov, editor-in-chief of Lifewire, suggested that some privacy settings could help protect users.
Are users aware of all this?
Claims of use of data for advertising have worried many users, who point to potentially invasive inconsistencies in the terms of use. There are also people who criticize ai writing assistants like this – saying that there is not enough transparency and control involved, so no real choice is given to the user. In the end, the app is still providing a good yield for the business. The company’s CEO says that their terms of use are standard and that they do not share any data for targeted advertising purposes. They generate revenue through subscriptions for additional features.
What else does FaceApp say?
The FaceApp released a statement on the 8th of April stating that they only upload images that have been picked by users “We never upload other images. We may store a photo in the cloud. The main reason for this is performance and traffic: we want to make sure the user doesn’t repeatedly upload the same photo every time they want to enable an editing feature. Our servers delete most images within 48 hours after upload” he notes.
According to the statement, although FaceApp accepts user requests to delete their photos, the support team has an “excessive workload”. Meanwhile, the company’s recommendation to users is to forward such requests by putting “Private Issue” in the subject line of the email they send. The users’ data, as clarified, will not transfer to Russia.
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Author: PC-GR
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