US Senator Chuck Schumer calls for probe into FaceApp, the face-altering mobile phone software made in Russia
- Software experts say the app is only collecting the same data other apps collect, suggesting the concern is solely based on it being developed in Russia
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for the FBI and the FTC, the US consumer protection body, to “look into the national security & privacy risks” connected to FaceApp, which is used by millions of Americans but was developed by a Saint Petersburg-based company.
“FaceApp’s location in Russia raises questions regarding how and when the company provides access to the data of US citizens to third parties, including potentially foreign governments,” the New York senator said in a letter to the FBI. “It would be deeply troubling if the sensitive personal information of US citizens was provided to a hostile foreign power actively engaged in cyber hostilities against the United States.”
Schumer is not the only Democrat who is worried. According to The Washington Post the party’s National Committee has warned campaigners in the primaries before the 2020 presidential election to “delete the app immediately”.