Since going viral again for making people look old, FaceApp has been downloaded by 12.7 million new users
Trending News
FaceApp
An app that applies filters to people's faces to make them look older has taken over social media and quickly went viral in the last week.
The revival of FaceApp has raised questions about how the Russian company behind the app uses data and photos uploaded to the platform. However, those concerns haven't stopped people from downloading it in droves. Since July 10, FaceApp has been downloaded by more than 12.7 million first-time users, according to data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower.Read more: Viral app that makes you look old with shocking precision may be quietly keeping all your data
At this same time in mid-June, FaceApp was seeing about 65,000 new users a day. But since going viral, FaceApp has seen 1.8 million new users per day, according to Sensor Tower data. That's an increase of of 26 times over.In the past week, FaceApp has been downloaded more times than it has been in the rest of 2019.
The app has also garnered interest from notable celebrities like Drake and the Jonas Brothers, who have shared photos on social media showing their faces magically aging.But taking a closer look at FaceApp's terms of service has worried some users about what exactly they're giving the app access to on their phones. The terms of service give FaceApp the ability to use your photos for commercial purposes, and that user data can be stored on FaceApp's servers even after it's deleted from the app.FaceApp's connection to Russia - its parent company is based there - has worried US government officials that have taken notice of the app's growing virality. The Democratic National Committee has reportedly advised staff for 2020 presidential campaigns to delete FaceApp from their phones.
Furthermore, one of the top Democrats in the Senate, New York senator Chuck Schumer, has urged the FBI and Federal Trade Commission to investigate FaceApp because of its ties to Russia, which "could pose national security and privacy risks for millions of US citizens."
Copyright © 2021. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.
Next