Apps are abundant and do such a variety of things, we hardly care to look at the fine print when installing them. However, that comfortable feeling we have with our apps should never make us let our guard down. For instance, we can know that they will hold onto our location and certain other IP information for sending ads specifically suited for us. Cookie information does the same thing. But targeted ads aren’t all FaceApp deal with. The Russian-based company has a privacy policy and a TOS (terms of service) that are somewhat troubling.
FaceApp App
When you click accept, you are granting FaceApp a license that is:
- Nonexclusive
- Worldwide
- Irrevocable
- Transferrable
- Royalty-free
- Fully paid
- Sublicensable
Privacy
A license like that gives the app certain rights in how they use your name, username, likeness, and content, including media and channels. Currently, this data can be:
- Reproduced
- Used
- Modified
- Translated
- Adapted
- Distributed
- Publicly performed
- Displayed
They can use this in any format, on any channel, that exists now or might be created at some future point, and they never have to pay you for it.
If you don’t already understand it, it’s important that you know, these governing licenses are never written for user benefit. They are specifically crafted in such a way that they are not legally liable should one of these things come into scrutiny at some future point. When you don’t read the fine print and think you have a viable complaint, all they have to do is say that they warned you via terms of service, privacy notices, and licenses, and they are covered. You, however, are not.
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What’s even more troubling about this technology is that it is really a form of facial recognition software, and can be used in deepfake technology. All that is needed to create a video so realistic that it would pass courtroom scrutiny, is a single face image. Add in all the information that is gathered about you via social media, online shopping, any calendars you might have in place, and the slew of quizzes you might take – answering what look like innocent questions – and companies have enough information on you to know exactly what your next move is. And when it is.
We’re not saying to shut down everything and become a recluse. However, a good reading of terms of service, privacy policies, and anything else written to access your specific data, should be thoroughly considered.
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