FACE-OFF WITH RUSSIAN APP
Let’s face it, appealing to people’s vanity is a surefire way to lure them into nefarious schemes, especially if the goal is to extract information that could potentially manipulate a country’s election results. Now, the FBI has labeled a controversial Russian smartphone app known as FaceApp, “a potential counterintelligence threat.” The app, which allows people to make themselves look younger or older in photos, is concerning due to the manner in which the Kremlin can access cellphone data.
FaceApp gained popularity this past summer, with thousands of celebrities and others sharing photos of themselves edited via the app on social media. Users must grant the app full access to nearly all their photos and personal data, creating the risk of Russian developers sharing such information with third parties without consent. Although the company has denied selling its data, the FBI contends that Russian intelligence agencies could tap into FaceApp data without the company even knowing.
According to The Daily News, the FBI plans to launch an investigation if it determines that “elected officials, candidates, political campaigns or political parties in the U.S. are targets of foreign influence operations,” involving FaceApp. In the meantime, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who initiated the Bureau’s investigation into the app, is urging people to delete FaceApp from their cellphones, and says platforms like Apple’s App Store should stop offering it.
