Friday, March 29, 2024

FaceApp could be used for dummy accounts in Facebook, warns IT group

The Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU) has warned Filipinos against the use of FaceApp as the images gathered by the mobile app could possibly benefit the impostor accounts that proliferated recently in Facebook.

Credit: Reddit

“And with the advent of the Anti-Terrorism Bill possibly becoming law, there is danger that 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,” CPU said in  a statement.

It added: “We must realize that giving the people and organizations behind them permission to gather and use our personal information means that we do pay for their services — not in cash but at the cost of our attention, privacy, and security.”

For its part, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said the application does not contain any malicious elements but could create privacy and security issues since FaceApp uses facial recognition.

“We have to treat these new forms of authentication as passwords, as any widely available facial recognition system can end up being used for both good and bad,” warned Fabio Assolini, senior security analyst at Kaspersky.

According to Assolini, companies that own such apps could potentially facilitate or sell these images to entities that use artificial intelligence to make facial recognition modifications.

“In addition, it must be taken into account that this data is stored on third-party servers, and that it can also be stolen by cyber criminals and used to impersonate identities,” he added.

The analyst recommended that before joining the latest social media challenge, users should be aware of the security of the app and download it only from official stores. He also highlighted the importance of reading the privacy terms of the applications to understand what rights and types of access are being requested.

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