After going viral, users are being urged to delete FaceApp – the popular app that will take a photo and use several filters to adjust the image.
The Russian-made app is posing security concerns due to the terms of service giving them rights to access and use your data! Upon downloading this app, the user must agree to give access to their photos and data. The terms of service policy also grants the company license to use photos and other personal information uploaded by users for commercial purposes, such as their name, likenesses and voices.
Also, the FaceApp’s policy states that all information possessed by the app could be stored and transferred to the countries from which the app and its affiliates operate from. Meaning all data and information collected can be stored in virtually any country, including Russia. There is no limit for how long the information is stored, even after its deleted from the app.
There are many apps that trick users into allowing access to information that the app doesn’t need. You may remember back in 2014 when the iHandy Flashlight app came out – it was designed to track locations, read your calendar, use camera, access unique numbers that identify your phone, and then share that data with ad networks. Click here to read the article from Wired magazine.
The main point to remember when installing any app is to check out what you are agreeing to when installing it. We recommend to never give authorization to an app to access data that it doesn’t need to operate, and also rights to use that data carte blanche!