Inc.: FaceApp Went Viral. Now the FBI Is Calling It a 'Potential Counterintelligence Threat'
And the once-popular selfie-aging app isn't alone.
Over the summer, a mobile app called FaceApp briedly took the Internet and the mobile world by storm with a face-aging feature that let any user take a selfie and immediately see what they'd look like when they're old.
As it caught fire, the app became a popular topic in the news, and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds were overrun with pictures of aging friends.
While all of that was happening, Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer of New York wondered whether the app's developer, Wireless Lab, which resides in Russia, posed a problem.
It took a few months, but today he received the answer he perhaps didn't want to receive.
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WNU Editor: I downloaded the app this summer and I love it. But this is a sign on how big of a problem this is going to be in the coming years. App developers in both Russia and China are prolific, and they are producing some impressive stuff. And yes, the security agencies in these countries can exploit them if they want to, but that in itself is a big risk. Once it is known that these apps are being used for intelligence purposes, the app will not only be deleted by most pf its users, but the perception will quickly develop that all apps from that country will be tainted.
1 comment:
My first thought was that it was a way to tie a face to a voice profile.
My daughter has one of those speakers where you first get its attention with "Hey Google" then tell it what music you want. It was very interesting/useful.
My son-in-law told me his brother was messing around with it and swore at it with disgusting stuff and he got locked out. Not that I will ever find out but I wonder if the the brother were to get one for his home if he would he be locked out. A stretch I know but also you never know.
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