SEEMS SUSPICIOUS?

Sen. Chuck Schumer Calls for FBI, FTC Probe Into Russia-Based FaceApp

Schumer said the app’s HQ location in Russia “raises questions” about where user data ends up.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has asked FBI Director Christopher Wray and Federal Trade Commission Chair Joseph Simons to conduct an investigation into the Russia-headquartered mobile application FaceApp over privacy and national security concerns. The app—which uses filters to make users look older, younger, or a different gender—makes them hand over access to their photos and data. “I have serious concerns regarding both the protection of the data that is being aggregated as well as whether users are aware of who may have access to it,” Schumer wrote in a Wednesday letter. “In particular, FaceApp’s location in Russia raises questions regarding how and when the company provides access to the data of U.S. citizens to third parties, including potentially foreign governments.” He asked the FBI to launch a probe into where the data is going, and the FTC to consider “safeguards” to protects Americans’ privacy while using the app.

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