FaceApp: What They Don't Tell You

FaceApp: What They Don't Tell You

                                      

credit DW

A smartphone app by the name of FaceApp has gone Viral and has had a million people from all works of life using it. FaceApp is a mobile application for iOS and Android developed by Russian company Wireless Lab which uses artificial intelligence to generate highly realistic transformations of faces in photographs.

FaceApp is Artificial intelligence-powered, With AI the apps allow one to do quite a number of things to selfie photos.

1.Face Transformation

This is one of the most interesting features, it can transform someone's photo from old to young and also form someone's face from young to old, something that has got most young people doing.

2. Swap Genders

Apart from that one can also swap gender, the app can change a man face to female and vice-versa 

3. Change Emotions and facial expressions 

put a smile on a sad face, add a bead, change hairstyle etc and the outcome picture looks real, like its not an edited pic. It's quite an interesting app I would say with all these powerful cutting edge technologies. 

The BIG QUESTION is 'Are they any red flag to this app that has gained more a million downloads?' well, it depends I would if one read there terms and conditions and connect it with the open pop up one get when open the app, its leave room for discussion. 

Here are a few concerns/ Red Flags  about the app

1. Terms and Conditions number 5,

"You grant FaceApp a perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform and display your User Content and any name, username or likeness provided in connection with your User Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed, without compensation to you. When you post or otherwise share User Content on or through our Services, you understand that your User Content and any associated information (such as your [username], location or profile photo) will be visible to the public."

2. Terms and Conditions  number 14, which states,

"By accessing or using our Services, you consent to the processing, transfer and storage of information about you in and to the United States and other countries, where you may not have the same rights and protections as you do under local law."

3. The opening Pop says "CLOUD PHOTO PROCESSING

This means each photo you select for editing will be uploaded to their servers for image processing and transformation....the question is does one access that stored data....?

More can be found here on their page for terms and conditions...

DO they care about your data which they store...

Here are a few extracts from  the privacy policy page 

1. We will not rent or sell your information to third parties outside FaceApp (or the group of companies of which FaceApp is a part) without your consent, except as Parties with whom we may share your information: in this Policy.

2. "We may remove parts of data that can identify you and share anonymized data with other parties." Note langue here the word is "May"

3. Any information or content that you voluntarily process with the Service, such as User Content, becomes available to the FaceApp anonymously.

More on their Privacy Policy Page

Prejudice Statements: Its a Russian made App, so it must be dangerous, Honestly NO WAY......One's location should not have an impact or say on how safe something they make is for public use...Am sure they are other Russian made Apps that people are using safely.

MY Conclusion;

The technology used is powerful Thumbs for work well done, but when comes to privacy and how people's data will be used it more Needs clarification and Consideration. To the developers of the app, "in LIFE the more popular you become, the bigger the Burden".