NPC CITES IMPROVEMENTS IN FACEAPP PRIVACY POLICY
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said Faceapp made some notable improvements in its privacy policy from last year, but the agency did not say whether the app is safe to use or not.
Privacy Commissioner Raymund Liboro said in a statement that the agency had conducted an assessment of the mobile app, known for its photorealistic gender-bending feature.
The NPC first assessed the application in August 2019, while a second privacy assessment was held on June 23 this year. Liboro said the policy had a “major overhaul over the past three years.”
Liboro noted that the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act required developers to improve their privacy policy and provide specific legal bases for processing personal data.
Back in 2019, the app had no mention of data subject rights. Instead, it only directed users to send it an email if they have questions about the app’s privacy policy, Liboro said.
When asked whether or not the app was safe, Liboro said the choice should be left with the users.
“Any app has risks. Appreciate Faceapp for its entertainment value. Treat it like any other mobile application that uses AI that can manipulate visual perception, Liboro said.
“To download or not is a choice better left to consumers [or] users,” he added.
Only photographs selected for editing are uploaded to the cloud, where they are temporarily cached during the editing process and encrypted using a key stored locally in the user’s mobile device, he said.
The 2020 version provides users choices, such as opting out, device permissions, cloud processing, cookies, targeted online advertising, choosing not to share one’s personal information and third-party platforms.
The NPC assessment also found that the 2020 Faceapp version no longer required users to disclose their mobile number and Facebook login information for identity verification.
“Do not be afraid to explore new technologies but use it with caution. Report abuse if any.” Liboro said his statement.
“The public must not immediately give in to privacy panics. Rather, we should read and learn how to analyze privacy notices and policies. Ask yourself, is the app and developer being fair by providing choices and notices? These privacy notices are the window to transparency on how companies and developers will protect your data and rights.” he added.
The Computer Professionals’ Union, a nonprofit organization started by local IT practitioners in 2001, has warned against using the app, saying it would have the “freedom to access personal digital likeness and permission to use it for their purposes.”
“Be reminded that not too long ago, there have been very suspicious activities online including the proliferation of doppelgänger accounts on Facebook, which could possibly benefit from Faceapp data,” CPU said in a statement.
“With the Anti-terrorism Bill possibly becoming law, there is danger these doppelgänger accounts, coupled with realistic likeness of the persons they’re impersonating, could maliciously act in violation of the provisions of said law thereby framing the actual person,” it added.