FaceApp is all the craze at the moment and netizens have been taking to it in droves. Unfortunately, all of that has also raised security and privacy issues much of which has to do with the Russian origin of the app’s developers.
The other biggest concern with FaceApp is its way of functioning as all the processing is done at the company servers and not user devices. For those who might have been living under a rock, the FaceApp application is a photo editing app where it can make the image of any person to look 20 years younger or older.
However, what has irked security experts is the fact that the app does the processing of the user photos at its own servers that many presume to be in Russia given the Russian origin of the app’s core developers. Experts have also expressed concerns with the app’s policies where the users are required to explicitly grant access to almost of user data stored in the phone.
Further, the app also seeks the permission to use the user info thus collected for any purpose it deems fit, including the username and real name of its users. Experts are worried the info thus collected might make it way to Russian government sources or its agencies and even foreign governments.
Ultimately, such info might end up being misused by groups inimical of a particular section of people. Also, given the not so friendly relations between Russia and the U.S., many fear the info collected by the company might be used against Americans and its interests worldwide.
FaceApp though has ruled any of such concerns and has said it does not store user data at any server in Russia. Instead, those have been stored in Amazon and Google servers and the vast majority of user info is deleted after 48 hours. Users also have the option to delete their own info which they can invoke from right within the app.
All the controversies and concerns notwithstanding, FaceApp continues to be a craze worldwide and has already gone for millions of downloads.