FaceApp is allowed to use your name, username or any likeness provided in any media format it likes without compensation, meaning you will not be paid for it, or have any ability to take it down or complain about it.
This is also because FaceApp uploads your photo to the cloud for processing, it doesn’t carry out on-device processing like many apps do. After doing so, it retains the image long after you’ve deleted the app and moved on to the next viral sensation. People using the app are not made aware of this.
If you have time please read FaceApp terms and conditions.
The FaceApp episode highlights how, after more than a year of high-profile privacy scandals in the tech industry, consumers still don't adequately scrutinise services before handing over their sensitive personal data.
At the same time, it's a reminder of how little we understand how companies collect our information and what rights they have to it.
Joshua Nozzi, the developer who first raised alarms about FaceApp, and other security researchers later knocked down the initial fear that FaceApp is covertly harvesting your entire smartphone camera roll.
Likewise, the fact that a company is based in Russia doesn't automatically mean it's a tool of the Russian government.
"Most images are deleted from our servers within 48 hours from the upload date," the company said in a lengthy statement provided to TechCrunch addressing the privacy concerns
According to TechCrunch, the app is able to access Photos on Apple’s iOS platform even if a user has set photo permissions to “never”. This isn’t a good sign either.
Incidences like this demonstrate how much information people are giving away on the internet by using a “free” service. Sure it’s fun to see what your face will look like in 30 years’ time but by leaving little nuggets of information about yourself across the web, it all adds up to a digital footprint.
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