FaceApp has become popular due to its filter to appear older and if you are one of those who do not read the terms of use and privacy, you may be interested in knowing why it can be dangerous.
Does FaceApp Put your Privacy at Risk?
TheFaceApp applicationhas become very famous in recent days thanks to its filter to make you look olderthrough facial recognition, a hobby that has conquered many users, including influencers and celebrities such as the soccer player Joaquín, the members of the musical group Dvicio, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, Auronplay, Chicote or Nicky Jam despite the fact that it has been available since 2017, although it has improved a lot since then.
Privacy Policy
What at first seemed like a simple funny or funny action has become a concern following an article that questioned theprivacy policy of FaceApp, which is quite ambiguous and has not been updated since January 2017.
It is also noteworthy that an application to pass the time through photos asks you for access to the entire roll of your device when on its website they specify that despite not being able to sell the photos used in this app to third parties, they can be transferred to other companies that are part of the same group as the developer.
In addition to this more than reasonable doubt, it also influences the commotion that this viral challenge is creating, that the developer of the application is of Russian origin (a country in which the control of Internet data is different) despite having its US headquarters
So much suspicion stems from one of the most notable absences from their privacy policy: what would happen to the data collected if the company were to be dissolved or sold, and from the clause that states they can transfer user information to a country and jurisdiction that is not have the same data protection laws.
Tips
If you still want to try the application to find out how you will see yourself in a few years, we give you a couple of tricks so that you do not have any problems :
- Don’t let the app access your camera roll. When the app asks for your permission to access the photos on your device, deny it to prevent all your photos from being compromised.
- Use a public photograph. When uploading the photo that will be facially recognized to give you back your old image, choose one that you don’t mind that can be displayed in a public place.
FaceApp’s response
As a result of all the controversy created around this application, its creators have decided to issue a statement denying some of the issues that most concerned users.
According to the company, despite the fact that the R&D department is located in Russia, photos stored in the cloud (which are deleted within 48 hours of being uploaded) do not cross borders.
How to clear app data
Still, the company has stated that all app data can be cleared by following these simple steps:
- Settings -> Support -> Report a bug (write privacy in the subject).