Today’s top tech news: FaceApp’s overhyped security issues, Elon Musk wants to test brain chips on humans and the ‘absurdity’ of Facebook’s cryptocurrency

<ul><li>FaceApp isn’t the one to blame for having access to your library, it's a loophole in Apple’s operating system. </li><li>Elon Musk has a chip to cure brain disorders and help with paralysis — all he needs is FDA approval to kick off human trials in 2020. </li><li>Facebook is trying to convince the US government that its new cryptocurrency is a good idea but no one's buying it. </li><li>Azim Prem Ji, Wipro Chairman, attending his last general meeting on Tuesday and highlighted four areas of technology that could benefit the company’s growth. </li><li>Flipkart founder, Sachin Bansal, has made a new investment — this time in boAt, a Delhi-based startups focused on selling electronic audio equipment.</li></ul> This is Tech Insider’s daily dose of <keyword id="35609" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tech-news">tech news</keyword> — everything that’s happening in tech that you need to know about today from Business Insider and its partner publications:

<ul><li>FaceApp is topping the charts on Android and iOS app stores according to App Annie’s data.</li><li>The AI photo editor has growing in popularity but also facing heat over its terms of service.</li><li>While it’s true that your data may not be entirely safe, it’s no different than Instagram and TikTok terms of use.</li></ul>FaceApp has gone viral and it is no surprise that it is trending at the Number One spot on Android and iOS in globally and in India — despite <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-viral-faceapp-is-driving-indians-crazy-showing-an-error-instead-of-a-picture/articleshow/70273727.cms">connectivity issues</a> here. In fact, it’s the number one free app on iOS in 150 countries and 77 countries on Android, according to <a href="https://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/app/faceapp-add-smile-change-gender-and-age/app-ranking/?device=iphone&amp;type=ranks&amp;date=2019-07-17">AppAnnie</a>. Data shows that the Russian artificial intelligence (AI) photo editor has overtaken other popular apps like TikTok and WhatsApp to rule the charts. It has been downloaded more than a 100 million times from the Google Play Store. 
 <div type="image" title="Untitled design (4)" msid="70287036" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;App Annie rankings for Android (left) and iOS (right)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 The #FaceAppChallenge and the #AgeChallenge have been trending across social media for the past two days. People are gleefully sharing photos of what they would look like if they were older. And, it’s not just photos of themselves that they’re sharing. Avid fans of the Indian cricket team took to Instagram and Twitter to share aged photos of all the players. And the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-psychologist-explains-why-everyone-is-obsessed-with-a-new-viral-app-that-shows-what-youll-look-like-when-youre-old/articleshow/70268694.cms">aging trend</a> has developers launching copycat apps like ‘Aging Booth’ that jumped up 137 position in Apple’s iOS app store. The question of data The increasingly popularity of the app has also brought with it concerns over data usage. Just as the Indian government is concerned over Chinese mobile apps like Bytedance’s TikTok and Helo, the users in the US are paranoid about how a Russian made mobile could potentially <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/viral-app-that-makes-you-look-old-with-shocking-precision-may-be-quietly-keeping-all-your-data/articleshow/70267671.cms">misuse the photos it has collected</a>. A US Senator, <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1151645791796248576">Charles E. Schumer</a> has written to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to look into the issue of how the data shared by citizens in the US could be misused. Licence to use Regardless of whether you live in the US or in India, the FaceApp’s terms of service stay the same. And, there are two particular points of the policy that have users worried about how their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/faceapp-security-concerns-false-no-privacy-breach/articleshow/70260995.cms">faces could be used without their consent. </a> The terms state that a user is the owner of all of his photos before and after processing on the app. Yet, FaceApp has the ‘license’ to do whatever it wants to do with the ‘user content’. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="You grant FaceApp a perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform and display your User Content and any name, username or likeness provided in connection with your User Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed, without compensation to you." auname="FaceApp terms of service"></div>



 Third party access The second issue irking users is the fact that they can’t really do much about it once they’ve used the app. So, even if you delete your profile from FaceApp and even take the mobile app off your phone — Wireless Lab, FaceApp’s publishers, can use whatever ‘user content’ they have at a later date as well. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="FaceApp, its Affiliates, or Service Providers may transfer information that we collect about you, including personal information across borders and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world. If you are located in the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, please note that we may transfer information, including personal information, to a country and jurisdiction that does not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction." auname="FaceApp terms of service"></div>



 Not a new story But, here’s the thing — how is this any different from how Instagram and Facebook use your content? Even on <a href="https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870">Instagram</a>, when you upload a photo, the content is yours but you’re granting the photo sharing platform a pretty broad license to use your content — which includes sub licensing it to third parties — without giving you a piece of the profits, if any. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="We do not claim ownership of your content that you post on or through the Service. Instead, when you share, post, or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights (like photos or videos) on or in connection with our Service, you hereby grant to us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content (consistent with your privacy and application settings)." auname="Instagram terms of use"></div>



 The same licensing rights are granted to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/en/terms-of-use">TikTok</a> as well. And, does one really need to say anything about Facebook goes about treating user data? 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="You or the owner of your User Content still own the copyright in User Content sent to us, but by submitting User Content via the Services, you hereby grant us an unconditional irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully transferable, perpetual worldwide licence to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, make derivative works of, publish and/or transmit, and/or distribute and to authorise other users of the Services and other third-parties to view, access, use, download, modify, adapt, reproduce, make derivative works of, publish and/or transmit your User Content in any format and on any platform, either now known or hereinafter invented." auname="TikTok terms of service"></div>



 The point is anything you share online comes with its risks. It is important to be aware of those risks and avoid them when possible.Dropping one player won’t make much of a difference to the larger issue of data sharing. Players at large, including the Indian government, are already working on digital laws — like the GDPR in EU — to help regulate the digital space where users can be assured that their data is safe and liabilities are in place for when data regulations are abused. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/faceapp-security-concerns-false-no-privacy-breach/articleshow/70260995.cms">No, FaceApp is not stealing your data — it's only making you look old</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-viral-faceapp-is-driving-indians-crazy-showing-an-error-instead-of-a-picture/articleshow/70273727.cms">The viral FaceApp is driving Indians crazy showing an error instead of a picture</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/movies/from-priyanka-chopra-to-shah-rukh-khan-how-bollywood-celebrities-will-look-like-when-they-are-old/articleshow/70278477.cms">From Priyanka Chopra to Shah Rukh Khan, how Bollywood celebrities will look like when they are old</a>

FaceApp becomes most downloaded app, rushing past Russian concerns

<ul><li>FaceApp, the Russian photo editing app that made its debut two years ago, is going viral again with its feature that allows users to look younger or older. </li><li>Users are worried that FaceApp might be uploading their library in the background since it can still access photos even if the settings are set at ‘never’ allow photo access. </li><li>Researchers find that the concerns are unfounded and if anything, Apple might be to blame. </li></ul>FaceApp — the Russian artificial intelligence (AI) photo editor infamous for enabling ‘digital blackface’ two years ago — is back on the scene. He brings a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-use-faceapp-the-app-that-can-age-your-face-or-swap-your-gender/articleshow/58351500.cms">not-so-new</a> feature that lets users defy age to see what they would look like if they were younger or older. <div type="twitter" handle="jonasbrothers" handlename="Jonas Brothers" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1120334749216714752/UAnxgPmr_normal.jpg" favoritecount="294023" retweetcount="43723" status="When you take a trip to the Year 3000. https://t.co/O9Dxpwj6ex" createdat="1563313294000" id="1151245513720659970"></div>

 It’s even trending online as the #FaceAppChallenge. But, the return of FaceApp also brings about questions around how the mobile app accesses data on smartphones. Back in 2017, when the app originally went viral, one of the criticisms against Face App was a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-27/should-you-worry-about-privacy-when-using-faceapp/8476666">vague </a>privacy policy. It was never clear with what it does with the data it acquires from users. Considering a lot of sensitive photos are taken on phones today, like identification documents and banking information, it would only take one wrong picture for things to take an unpleasant turn. FaceApp might not be to blame French security research <a href="https://twitter.com/fs0c131y/status/1151267523477889024?s=21">Robert Bapiste</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/16/ai-photo-editor-faceapp-goes-viral-again-on-ios-raises-questions-about-photo-library-access-and-clo/">TechCrunch</a> and Guardian App’s CEO, <a href="https://twitter.com/chronic/status/1151280938900262913">Will Strafach</a>, say that FaceApp’s issues are not as bad as they are thought to be. All three of them have determined that FaceApp doesn’t upload your camera roll in the background. Also, iOS users who are panicking over how the app is able to pick up photos even though access wasn’t provided, it’s not FaceApp’s fault. <div type="twitter" handle="karissabe" handlename="Karissa Bell" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/477475188288671745/9GGAfCTz_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="11" retweetcount="2" status="Shouldn’t photo access need to be enabled for this to be possible ? 🤔 https://t.co/wy45zKn63E" createdat="1563321180000" id="1151278590715019264"></div>

 <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46404628/ios11-photo-library-access-is-possible-even-if-settings-are-set-to-never">Apple’s API</a> has a security loophole that’s been in place since the introduction of iOS 11. It allows apps to pick up singular photos from the system to work with. There’s an argument to be made for why that shouldn’t be the default setting on smartphones but it has nothing to do with FaceApp abusing the right to privacy. The one thing that is questionable about FaceApp is that it uploads the photo to the cloud, in order to process it. And consent for that is vague since FaceApp doesn’t explicitly point out that particular part of its functionality.

No, FaceApp is not stealing your data — it's only making you look old

A viral filter of a mobile application <keyword id="4458293" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="FaceApp">FaceApp</keyword>, shows you how you will look when you are old. The app has been around from quite some time now, but it went viral just a few days back. Netizens went crazy on social media posting photos of how their older version will look like. It’s a lot of fun and it is easy to use too. Just upload a selfie on the app and an older version appears. Some users have reported an error while using the app. A lot of people are curious to find out how their favourite celebrities will look like as they age. Business Insider India has curated some of the most interesting photos showing older versions of Celebrities. <div type="Slideshow" msid="70278601" hostid="261" title="From Priyanka Chopra to Shah Rukh Khan, how bollywood celebrities will look like when they are old" firstImageMsid="70278793" slideCount="9"></div>

From Priyanka Chopra to Shah Rukh Khan, how Bollywood celebrities will look like when they are old

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d2f2235789d3e1dd30142c2-690/previewimageold-c0138b9a9d.png" alt="FaceApp" /><a href="https://www.faceapp.com/">FaceApp</a>FaceApp uses artificial intelligence to edit your photos to make yourself look old or swap gender.<ul class="summary-list"><li>FaceApp, the viral photo-editing app that can make you look old or swap your gender using artificial intelligence, has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faceapp-privacy-data-terms-service-russia-2019-7">come under close scrutiny</a> because of its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faceapp-personal-data-russia-facebook-snapchat-tiktok-2019-7#lets-start-with-facebook-which-has-repeatedly-admitted-to-massive-user-data-breaches-1">data security and Russian origins</a>. </li><li>Back in July, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faceapp-russia-connection-investigation-privacy-concern-fbi-2019-7">wrote a letter</a> to the FBI and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to express his concerns over the national security risk posed by the popular FaceApp app that has proliferated across social media channels.</li><li>The FBI responded to Schumer in a letter dated November 25th, informing him that FaceApp, along with any other mobile app developed in Russia, was a potential counterintelligence threat. Schumer <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1201607736900964353/photo/1">tweeted</a> a copy of that letter Monday. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>The FBI says that it considers "any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, to be a significant counterintelligence threat." The popular photo-editing platform FaceApp debuted in 2017, but it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faceapp-old-age-face-filter-how-to-use-2019-7">exploded in popularity</a> this summer as social media influencers flooded feeds with selfies that used the app's filters to alter their age or gender- usually to hilarious effect. It was even briefly the most popular free app in both the Apple Store and Google Play. But the Russian-developed app also drew regulatory scrutiny thanks to its data policies: photos added to FaceApp were uploaded to a server for processing before being sent back to the user, but its terms of service did not specify how long the data could be kept.National security concerns mounted, as people worried that sensitive biometric data could be accessed by a foreign government. When it went viral in July, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately wrote to the FBI and the FTC to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faceapp-russia-connection-investigation-privacy-concern-fbi-2019-7">express his concern about FaceApp's Russia ties</a>. The Democratic National Committee also issued warnings to the 2020 Democratic candidates about the app and urged them not to use it.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-dnc-hack-doj-charges-clinton-emails-2017-11">The Russian government's role in the 2016 election</a>, its pattern of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-hacked-fbi-to-prevent-tracking-russian-spies-us-report-2019-9">hacking US intelligence</a>, and its longtime history competing with the US in the 20th century formed the foundations of the FaceApp backlash. The FBI responded to Senator Schumer's letter on November 25th, to say that it considers "any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, to be a significant counterintelligence threat." The senator <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1201607736900964353">shared a copy of the FBI's response</a> via Twitter on Monday, and said this was "a warning to share with your family &amp; friends."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-sovereign-internet-law-cut-web-access-censorship-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Russia's newly implemented internet sovereignty law</a> requires internet providers to install hardware to allow government authorities to locate and block sources of web traffic. This, along with its privacy and terms of use policies, seems to form the basis for the FBI's concerns. "The legal mechanisms available to the Government of Russia that permit access to data," made FaceApp, along with any other mobile application developed in Russia a counterintelligence threat, according to the agency's letter.The letter also warned about Russian intelligence's "robust cyber exploitation capabilities, and warned that authorities could "remotely access all communications and servers on Russian networks," without requests to internet providers. FaceApp did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/17/faceapp-responds-to-privacy-concerns/">July statement to TechCrunch</a>, it said it did not transfer any data to Russia, where its R&amp;D team is based. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safest-walk-ice-penguin-2017-2">The safest way to walk on ice is to impersonate a penguin</a></h3> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/1Owa3Ngp-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>

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Today’s top tech news: FaceApp’s overhyped security issues, Elon Musk wants to test brain chips on humans and the ‘absurdity’ of Facebook’s cryptocurrency

Today’s top tech news: FaceApp’s overhyped security issues, Elon Musk wants to test brain chips on humans and the ‘absurdity’ of Facebook’s cryptocurrency

Prabhjote Gill

FaceApp becomes most downloaded app, rushing past Russian concerns

Prabhjote Gill

No, FaceApp is not stealing your data — it's only making you look old

Prabhjote Gill

From Priyanka Chopra to Shah Rukh Khan, how Bollywood celebrities will look like when they are old

Preeti Soni

The FBI says the photo-editing app that went viral this summer is a 'significant counterintelligence threat' because of its ties to Russia

Bani Sapra