FaceApp is a cell-phone based face-editing application that has, over the past few weeks, gone viral among millions of young users around the world.
However, all is not well when it comes to this shiny new mobile app that’s got the world hooked. Recently, there’s been a bit of a controversy surrounding the privacy features of FaceApp.
So, let’s dive into the problem and learn some more about what it all means.
What is FaceApp?
To understand the uproar surrounding FaceApp, we must first understand what it is. Essentially, FaceApp is an application for iOS and Android which uses highly sophisticated neural network technology to automatically generate remarkable and realistic transformations of human faces in photographs.
This application was developed by Wireless Lab, a company based in Russia. FaceApp offers users numerous options to edit their faces on the uploaded photographs. Using the app, you can change everything from your hairstyle and makeup to your expression and age on a photograph.
You can add a smile to your face, change your hairstyle from a pigtail to a chignon, or make yourself look twenty years older. You can also add glasses, add or remove makeup, and give yourself a tattoo, if you so desire.
What people are saying about FaceApp
FaceApp is trending, gathering more followers with every passing day, and the Twitterati haven’t failed to notice the meteoric rise of this Russian app. Here’s what celebrities from around the globe are saying about FaceApp.
Why is FaceAPP so popular?
Sounds cool, doesn’t it? So, now you might be asking, why is FaceApp so popular with the modern, photo-obsessed audience?
“Never before has a generation so diligently documented themselves accomplishing so little.”……..Internet Wisdom
But there’s a good reason why FaceApp has gained the kind of globe-spanning popularity that it has. A catchy concept and celebrity users are just one side of the coin. The other is the highly sophisticated – if confusing – technology that it uses.
The AI based neural network technology used by FaceApp is both incredibly accurate and highly realistic. On top of that, it is also very fast. Forgot to wear eyeliner to the party last week? Don’t worry, FaceApp has you covered.
Wish you’d had a different hairstyle for your sister’s wedding? Leave it to FaceApp! Is it any wonder, then, that people are lining up to get this magic app on their phone as soon as possible?
What are the concerning issues regarding FaceApp?
However, experts have said that FaceApp controversy arises as their privacy policy is extremely vague and open to interpretation. According to some reports, since the launch of the app, it has amassed hundreds of millions of photos of faces from around the world.
Another cause for concern is that the terms of service of this app stipulate that these photos can be used by the company however and whenever it wants. Many users are concerned that the stored images of their faces could later be used to track their movements using face-recognition technology.
The company which had developed FaceApp, however, has assured users that it deletes most of the photographs from its servers within two days or 48 hours of upload.
In Conclusion
Still, privacy remains a major concern for users of the app, with some reports suggesting that the makers of FaceApp have uploaded entire camera rolls to their servers. Some have even called for an FBI investigation into the issue.
It is worth noting, however, that Will Strafach and Baptiste Robert, two well-known security researchers, have so far given the app a clean chit on the matter of the alleged privacy violations and ended any faceapp controversy so far.
Banner Image Credit: kenyanreport.com
