How could you possibly miss out on the latest craze? FaceApp’s edited photos are flooding our news feeds and, let’s face it, giving us a few much-needed laughs. This mobile app, which has been around since 2017, enjoyed a resurgence in popularity when it launched a filter that ages faces. It’s true that the results are often strikingly realistic. The trend quickly spread like wildfire. The #AgeChallenge and #FaceAppChallenge flooded social media, with many celebrities joining in the fun too. Within a few days, FaceApp shot to the top of the download charts on the Google Play Store and the App Store.
But how does it actually work?
Your photo is actually sent to a server abroad. It is then modified using an algorithm before being sent back to your phone. That’s right, your photo goes on a little journey far away from your smartphone! Hard to believe, isn’t it? Yet it’s absolutely true. And it’s worrying. Many politicians are warning of the risks to your data and privacy. Think about it: you never actually gave your consent for the photo to leave your phone… did you?
So the question is… what happens to these photos during that brief journey between your smartphone and the external server? The CEO claims that most are deleted within 48 hours. But what about the rest? This practice is far from new. Ultimately, FaceApp joins the ranks of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and all their sister apps that use the images you post without us knowing exactly what they’re used for.
Watch this space. In the meantime, ask yourself: “Am I prepared to give free access to some of my data in exchange for a service, however nice it may be?” That is the question!
Your digital partner since 1999
