FaceApp could be ageing people with worry

JORDAN MOSHE

Users across the spectrum have been snapping selfies using FaceApp, a mobile application which adds a few years to features, and shows you how well – or how badly – you will age.

With the app’s viral surge, questions are being asked about the safety of personal data. According to tech experts, there is no cause for panic, but the trend should serve as a reminder of the numerous threats to our personal information.

FaceApp, developed by Russian company Wireless Lab, has been around for a few years, but its recent spike in popularity was caused by the launch of the #AgeChallenge. More than 100 million people have reportedly downloaded the app to take up the challenge, among them many celebrities.

Essentially, you supply a photo of yourself to which the app applies AI (Artificial Intelligence) filters to show how you might look in your old age. Photos of users made elderly have been uploaded and exchanged copiously over the past few days, shared among friends and family to determine who would age the most gracefully.

However, users have been surprised to discover that the app’s creators are uploading the images to their servers to apply the filter. Yaroslav Goncharov, the chief executive of the Russian company, has reportedly confirmed that photos uploaded to the app are stored on the company’s servers to save bandwidth, but he says they are deleted shortly thereafter.

It has left many understandably concerned, but investigations conducted have yet to reveal any dishonest behaviour on the part of the Russian company. “The primary risk is that people waste too much productive time on a frivolous pursuit,” assures tech expert Arthur Goldstuck. “I have yet to see evidence that it represents any more of a threat to privacy or identity protection than any of dozens of apps that many of us use every day.”

There is the belief that the app gathers personal data, but even this is not unusual, Goldstuck says. “It requires access to the phone’s camera and photo gallery to allow users to search for and find the images they wish to manipulate. How that is a greater threat than having a Facebook or LinkedIn profile pic available on the internet baffles me.

“Every app is different, has different permissions, and gives different access. Tarring all apps with the same brush is like regarding all food as poisonous because one plant is dangerous.”

The fact is that any app we use on a regular basis can pose as great a risk to our online safety and privacy as FaceApp potentially does. “People will throw away any security for social gratification or entertainment online,” says Eli Black, cyber security manager for Israel’s foreign trade administration. “It doesn’t matter how often you warn them. If they can share a meme, a cat video or a selfie, they will throw caution to the wind and share. That is standard user behaviour.”

He says the data generated online by users is of considerable value to numerous companies. However, most of it is used for standard activities without harmful effects, including marketing campaigns. “Facebook employs seven large marketing companies, all of which use dozens of third-party solutions to make sense of online human behaviour by sorting and using the data it generates.

“This is true of all social media. Computers generally store and use the data. Companies claim there is no risk because no person sees it, only computers do.”

Black says FaceApp is no different. “It has terms and conditions like any other company. It can use the data which no one can see to improve its systems and operations.

“There is no reason to think that FaceApp gives any more cause for concern about privacy than other platforms, nor to believe that data is at a greater risk in Russian hands than in American hands. There is no reason to believe that having a picture of you is of any concern – anyone can google it anyway.”

He says the furore over FaceApp is mostly political babble between countries, but serves as another reminder that we need to be mindful about our habits online.

“People should always consider whether or not they want their information online,” says Black. “Simply, this is a lifestyle choice. Today it’s almost impossible to avoid it, and once you’ve decided to go online, there’s no real going back.”

Once that step has been taken, security across all internet access platforms becomes essential. “Whether you use a phone app or computer app, it’s a window into your personal information in some way,” Black says.

Information which goes into cyberspace is all stored in some way, and users with access devise ways to trawl through it to find something valuable. Says Black, “Every marketing company out there uses tech to find information of value. They search for certain key words people are using to target them with adverts. If malicious users gain access to data, they also look for any useful information they can use. When this happens, one can get fraudulent emails and phone calls, and be tricked into divulging further information. This is the most basic way of hacking.”

It is therefore vital to understand that every time you use any app or device to access the internet, safety measures are necessary. “Buying a device and using it without implementing safety measures is like buying a house without putting a lock on the front door,” says Black. “If you don’t secure your information with simple software that will tell you when alarming activity is going on, you’re at risk.”

Beyond installing software which detects malware and hacking, Black says the most basic way to be cautious is to change passwords regularly – every two months at least. “The biggest banks and businesses have experienced cases of fraud simply because no passwords were changed,” he says. “If it remains the same for too long, you increase the chance of someone gaining access to inboxes and bank accounts. All you need is a hacker with access to your emails from First National Bank, for example, and you could find your bank account has been targeted.”