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- Schumer's control over the application stems from his origins in Russia; He believes that his use by the Americans "could pose risks to the national security and privacy of millions of US citizens."
- "It would be deeply troubling that sensitive personal information from US citizens be provided to a hostile foreign power actively engaged in cyber-hostilities against the United States," Schumer said in his letter.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote a letter The FBI and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have expressed "concerns" about the popular FaceApp application, which has proliferated on social media channels.
Schumer's control over the application stems from his origins in Russia; He believes that his use by the Americans "could pose risks to the national security and privacy of millions of US citizens."
"The FaceApp website in Russia raises questions about when and when the company will provide access to US citizens' data to third parties, including potentially foreign governments," said Schumer, adding that "Russia remains a major counterintelligence threat".
"It would be deeply troubling that the sensitive personal information of US citizens be provided to a hostile foreign power actively engaged in cyber-hostilities against the United States," the letter added.
The Democrat urged the FBI to badess whether the data and images used by the application could "end up in the hands of the Russian government". Schumer also asked the FTC to determine if there were "adequate safeguards" to protect users' privacy.
"In the era of facial recognition technologies, both in terms of surveillance and security, it is essential that users have the necessary information to ensure the security of their personal and biometric data, including those of countries hostile aliens, "said Schumer in his letter.
Read more: The viral application that makes you look old with shocking accuracy can be quietly keeping all your data
FaceApp, an AI-powered photo editor, gives a user an older or younger look with his photos. The application developed in Russia was launched in 2017 and became widely used after social media influencers started uploading photos of themselves. This was the most popular free app on the Apple Store and Google Play on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the terms of use of FaceApp, users grant it permission to use their voice, name, photos and other data for commercial purposes in perpetuity, even after the removal of the application by users.
The company says that none of its data is currently "transferred to Russia" and that it "does not sell or share any user data with third parties," according to TechCrunch. FaceApp's privacy policy states that it "will not rent or sell your information" to a third party without the consent of the user.
On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee warned the 2020 Democrat candidates against the application and urged them not to use it.
"If you or any of your employees have ever used the app, we recommend you remove it immediately," said the committee's safety officer in the alert, according to CNN.
"The privacy risks are unclear at the moment, but it is clear that the benefits of avoiding enforcement are more important than the risks," said Bob Lord, security officer at DNC.
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SEE ALSO: A psychologist explains why everyone is obsessed with a new viral application that shows what you'll look like when you're old
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