If you’ve been on the internet or any social media then you have seen everyone from your best friend to NBA superstars posting images from the app FaceApp. This is not the first time I have personally written about this app. I called the app a few years ago for whitewashing when you choose the “beauty” function. Now the app is trending for a less insidious reason. The FaceApp can transform your selfies with an aging filter. However, all is not what it seems. There are big privacy concerns. A developer by the name of Joshua Nozzi noticed FaceApp wouldn’t let him select any of the photos because he was offline.
BE CAREFUL WITH FACEAPP – the face aging fad app. It immediately uploads your photos without asking, whether you chose one or not.
As soon as I granted access to my photos it started listing them slowly a row at a time, almost like network delays. I quickly hit Airplane Mode and it instantly listed them all, refusing to let me select any because I’m offline. IT’S UPLOADING ALL YOUR PHOTOS.
Joshua Nozzi
The FaceApp privacy policy like pretty much every other app out there is inherently vague. In a nutshell, it says that it does collect your content when you post. The FaceApp is a free download on the App Store and like I always say; If something on the internet is free, your private data is the cost. I highly recommend that you avoid jumping off the cliff just because you see everyone else doing. These viral applications are free because they often have hidden motives and big privacy concerns. Remember the app “Twinning” that matched your selfies with celebrities? It was the fad last year. Well, it turns out that the app’s developer Popsurgar was exposing your personal photos.