Beware! You might want to think twice before you use this viral selfie app, everything you need to know about FaceApp

Over the last couple of days, you must have come across memes on social media, making celebrities and Cricketers look much older than their actual age. That magical transformation of their looks is taken care of by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This trend has gone viral and now our social media pages have aged quite a lot. But while it's really fun and somewhat real looking which makes you want to see what you would look like when you get old, you might want to think twice before using FaceApp due to some serious privacy-related concerns raised online. And the app has so much more to offer than merely making your faces look older or younger, and we'll discuss all of them shortly.

First up, what is FaceApp?

Source: Faceapp.com

FaceApp can fetch photos on your phone and make you smile (only in your photos). We first heard about this app in 2017 - when the term AI had just started to be a part of our everyday vocabulary. So, there's absolutely nothing new about the app and this is probably the second time it has gone viral since its introduction. Earlier, the app had gone viral because it was new and yes, it undeniably has certain exciting features that make it desirable.

So why has FaceApp gone viral now?

READ | Here's why everyone you know is posting aged selfies

On social media, you never know when something trends or goes viral and for what reason! Last month, random memes showing clueless videos of 'JCB' excavators digging up the dirt had the Internet abuzz and nobody exactly knows why. However, many such apps and features have previously been a subject of a viral internet sensation, courtesy of extensive promotion through other popular brands as well as influencer marketing.

Controversy....controversy...and some more controversy

FaceApp had previously been subject to criticism due to its controversial ethnicity filters that would allow changing a person from one ethnicity to another.  Similarly, there was another controversial filter to make users look “hotter” by simply making them whiter instead. Later on, FaceApp removed all those controversial filters in response to widespread criticism over its alleged focus on race instead of the face.

Questions about privacy

Some privacy concerns are raised about FaceApp using your photos in the background. But as of now, there's no conclusive evidence to support the statement that FaceApp is indeed using your camera roll in the background. Meanwhile, some iPhone users have also reported concerns about FaceApp's allowing users to select photos without explicitly giving photo access to the app.

In its privacy policy, FaceApp states that it collects location information and information about your browsing history.

"These tools collect information sent by your device or our Service, including the web pages you visit, add-ons, and other information that assists us in improving the Service," FaceApp says in its policy.

Although FaceApp says "we will not rent or sell your information to third parties outside FaceApp," it says that it shares information with "third-party advertising partners," as far as delivering targeted ads are concerned.

Whatever the case may be, you need to be extra careful while using untrustworthy photo editing apps, especially those seeking access to your photos and storage.

So far, FaceApp has crossed 100 million downloads on Google Play Store.