Sen. Chuck Schumer Expresses Privacy Concerns of FaceApp
Sen. Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the FBI and the FTC expressing his concerns with FaceApp, a mobile software application headquartered in Russia that uses artificial intelligence to alter users' images to make them look younger or older. He said he’s worried it would “pose national security and privacy risks for millions of U.S. citizens.”
In a letter, shared on Twitter by the Senator, he says he wants the FBI to “assess whether the personal data uploaded by millions of Americans onto FaceApp may be finding its way into the hands of the Russian government, or entities with ties to the Russian government. If so, I would urge that steps be immediately taken by the FBI to mitigate the risk presented by the aggregation of this data.” Additionally, he wants the FTC to make sure there are safeguards in place for Americans and for “government personnel and military service members from being compromised and if not, that the public be made aware of the risks associated with the use of this application or others similar to it."
In order to use the application, the Senator says, "users must provide the company full and irrevocable access to their personal photos and data. According to its privacy policy, users grant FaceApp license to use or publish content shared with the application, including their username or even their real name, without notifying them or providing compensation. In practice, providing this level of access to a user's data could mean that any photos taken with the application could be used publicly or privately in the future without a user's consent."
In particular, Senator Schumer says, "FaceApp's location in Russia raises questions regarding how and when he company provides access to the data of U.S. citizens to third parties, including potentially foreign governments... It would be deeply troubling if the sensitive personal information of U.S. citizens was provided to a hostile foreign power actively engaged in cyber hostilities against the United States."
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