(Picture: WIBC, Made with FaceApp Aging Filter)
Hey! Have you seen that nifty ‘make yourself look REALLY old app’ that everyone is trying? Isn’t it cool? Isn’t it funny? Isn’t it wild how absolutely NO ONE bothered to read the fine print in that user agreement?
Well, it turns out our fine friends in Russia own that app! And guess what? If you used that app, the Russians now own YOU as well!
That’s right, Hammer and Nigel! Поздравляю! (That’s Russian for ‘Congratulations’)
But Hammer and Nigel aren’t the only high-profile celebrities to use the new FaceApp. In fact, LOTS of celebrities are using FaceApp… and lots of NON-celebrities… Okay, pretty much EVERYONE used the damn FaceApp who had access to it, and now we’re all screwed. Good times!
It’s gone viral ever since dozens of celebrities like the Jonas Brothers posted a picture saying “when you take a trip to the year 3000.”
NBA star Lebron James showed his future self, and Carrie Underwood posted “everybody’s doing it.”
Privacy concerns have been growing about the popular photo app that is developed partly in Russia, concerns that FaceApp could be using your photos without your permission.
CNET reporter Alfred Ng says it’s no riskier than using Facebook Instagram, or Snapchat.
“This app is no more concerning than most apps that access your photos,” he said.
FaceApp’s terms of service says that while they do not claim ownership of any user content that you post, signing up does grant the company license to use your content – a fair warning that you should consider for all apps collecting data on your phone, says Ng.
“They provide one service and then do something else with it,” said Ng. “If you have a weather app on your phone, that takes your location data in real-time and sells it to third parties.”
“Definitely aware what I post on there, but it’s kind of inevitable keep everything about us a secret,” said Garcia.
“Our information is already out there,” said Sam Zawalunow. “Everybody has social media, I just think it’s part of life.”
Ng says you can still go ahead and take your fun photo, but if you are worried about how your picture might be used, the easiest step you can take is just to delete the app.
Tech experts say users should always read the fine print when downloading a new app, and check if the app location sharing is on or off.
Swell. Just be sure to tell me who we all supported for President in 2020 when the congressional investigations begin, okay?
WIBC host Tony Katz spoke about the “Instant Old” filter on his afternoon show Thursday. Click below to check it out.
