Russian Face App Warning
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has publicly characterised any mobile app developed in Russia as a potential counterintelligence threat, responding to a congressional query concerning the faceediting application FaceApp. Mobile apps developed in Russia such as the viral face-editing app FaceApp are a threat to security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed. The FBI warning came on December 2,...
FaceApp has more than 80 million active users but tech experts warn you may give up your privacy when you upload photos to the Russian-owned app. FaceApp said, "most images are deleted from... While the actions of some bad actors in Russia should not condemn every Russian-based company, some FaceApp users and critics are reasonably concerned that their names and photos uploaded to FaceApp could end up being misused or leaked to the wrong company.
The FBI has warned that all cellphone apps developed in Russia are a possible threat to US counterintelligence given that Russian spy services have strong abilities to exploit cyber networks. As FaceApp draws viral attention on social media for a popular service that allows users to post aged photos of themselves, privacy experts are warning that the Russia-based firms terms of service... The FBI responded to Schumer in a letter dated November 25th, informing him that FaceApp, along with any other mobile app developed in Russia, was a potential counterintelligence threat.
FaceApp was developed by a small team from St. Petersburg, Russia and has not updated its privacy policy since 2017, when the app previously went viral after criticism for what some considered to be racist filters that lightened users' skin tones. The Russian face transformation app FaceApp is again in the spotlight, this time for privacy risks.
Of concern is that the app has permission to access any photo on users smartphones, not just the one being transformed, and that photos are being uploaded to Russian servers. FaceApp may have caused a sensation with its filters that can drastically "age" a person in a photo, but it has also come under increasing scrutiny, particularly from Democrats who are concerned about its ties to Russia.
