What is the risk of FaceApp, the application that makes you grow old?

Paranoia and conspiracy theories are on the agenda in the context of technology and social networks. And this is not an unjustified fear if we take into account that we have recently confirmed what was virtually a secret secret: Google listens to all our conversations on mobile phones.

To this fear is added another seasoning: the mbadiveness of the networks. Among them are Facebook and its tools, such as FaceApp. In recent days, this application has been viralized within Facebook, which allows the user to see himself in a simulation of the appearance of his face, mainly the face, as an old man .

FaceApp works with artificial intelligence and surprising it (and this goes hand in hand with the current success of the platform) is the extreme realism of these simulations, especially in the exaltation of certain distinctive characteristics of people.

Although it is not a new application – the first version was released in 2017 – it has become furious in recent days because several celebrities have joined the #FaceAppChalenge. This filter shows – based on a picture chosen by the user – two simulations of the face "rejuvenated" and an "aged" tercerca. It is precisely the latter that everyone shares.

HOW IT WORKS?

The application was developed by a team from St. Petersburg, Russia. "We have developed a new technology that uses neural networks to modify a face on a photo while keeping it photorealistic, for example, adding a smile, changing gender and age, or simply making you more attractive. ", recently said the founder and CEO of the company. FaceApp, Yaroslav Goncharov; who said that the main differentiator of this tool with other similar ones is "photorealism".

The photo in question and on which the filters will be applied can be taken at the moment by means of the application, or a picture already recorded in the image galleries of the apparatuses can be chosen.

However, computer security experts recommend, for security reasons, not to allow any application to access users' personal galleries. Does FaceApp, like most apps, have a privacy page that explains how it uses the content of the user. And here, the application admits that "they can share the user's content and its information with companies that are legally part of the same group of companies as FaceApp." In short, disseminate our personal and biometric information for commercial purposes.

"We may also share your information, as well as information about tools, such as cookies, log files, device IDs, and location data, with third-party organizations that help us provide the service." , details the privacy policy.

But not all loupes are centered on FaceApp. "How do you see yourself as being the opposite bad?" Is another application that for more than a year has added multiple users; who follow the same steps as FaceApp to see what they would look like men or women.

The problem is that it seems to confirm that it is not as harmless as it seems. And according to the portal "Oh My Geek", this service is provided by Kueez, a site belonging to the company Yoto Media Group LTD and who took advantage of a "morphing" algorithm to steal information.

As stated by the site, the company keeps your photos, user IDs, list of friends, emails and other information such as geolocation, groups, mobile phone data when the use of this application. For this reason, "Oh My Geek" has shared a video so that users know how to block access to the private information of these apps.