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FaceApp an access your gallery even you have permission set to ‘never’

FaceApp, the AI-powered app that can edit photos of a person’s faces to show older or younger versions of themselves, can access your gallery even you have permission set to ‘never’. Thus, raising privacy concern issues of user’s personal information.

With the help of advanced software algorithms, Faceapp draws viral attention on social media for a popular service to transform selfies and make people virtually look older or younger than their actual age. With high popularity, several celebrities have also shared their older-looks. But due to some mysterious terms, Faceapp is in bars of privacy policies of a user in news today.

UK-based Digitas strategist James Whatley said on Twitter, “You grant FaceApp a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, license to use, publish, adapt, distribute your user content in all media format when you post or share.”

Thus in simpler terms, Faceapp has full right to use your real name or your username. It can be any terms of “any likeness provided” in any format without notifying you. The app can retain that data or information even after you delete the app. As Tech Crunch points out, even you are not protected against the terms for those who set their Apple iOS photo permissions to ‘never’.

In respect to the above statement, Faceapp has clarified that they store an uploaded photo in the cloud for its performance and traffic, and to make sure that the user doesn’t upload the photo repeatedly. Even concerning about user’s privacy, they said in a statement that most images are deleted from their servers within 48 hours from the upload date and are not even sent or shared with the third party or to Russia, though R & D is located in Russia. As FaceApp features are available without logging in, they do not have any information of 99% of users.

But a question arises here, what if the content is used for commercial purposes? It is specifically mentioned in Faceapp’s terms and policies that, “By using the Services, you agree that the User Content may be used for commercial purposes”.

Even some of the services of Faceapp are supported by advertising revenue and such promotions and advertisements may be placed by the app in conjunction with your User Content.

FaceApp said in a statement to TechCrunch that the app accepts requests from users to remove their data from its servers. The users can send the request through Setting>Support>Report a bug with the word “privacy” in the subject line, as the team is currently overloaded.

This is not the first time, Faceapp is in controversy. Back in 2017, Faceapp was in news for an ethnicity filter. Ethnicity filter was named as a controversial filter that was designed to change the facial features and skin tone of users to match a certain ethnicity.

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