Can FaceApp Be Trusted?

The Russian company Wireless Lab’s FaceApp, which was first released on January 2017, is now in headlines again - thanks to the #FaceApp Challenge. The app is viral again since past one week and encouraging many iOS and Android users to download the app and show the world what you are going to look like sixty years from now. The app uses neural network technology to create facial transformations which look highly realistic.

This seems exciting, isn’t it? However, people raised questions on social media over its terms and conditions. They say the app can potentially access and upload all your photos on the internet. It all started when app developer Joshua Nozzi tweeted that FaceApp is uploading many photos from people’s smartphones without asking permission.

The company, however, said it only ever uploaded photos that users selected for editing and not additional images. The firm’s chief executive, YaroslavGoncharov, also told that they don’t use photos for facial recognition training.

Amidst everything going on, one must think really hard before downloading any app as their personal information can be used for malicious purposes.