FaceApp
{{Short description|Photo manipulation application}}
{{Infobox software
| name = FaceApp
| logo = FaceApp logo.jpg
| logo size = 125px
| collapsible = yes
| logo caption = App icon seen on iOS and Android
| screenshot =
| screenshot size =
| caption =
| author =
| developer = FaceApp Technology Limited
| released = {{Start date and age|2016|12|31}}
| ver layout =
| operating system = iOS, Android
| size =
| language =
| language count =
| genre = Image editing
| programming language = Python
| license = Freemium
| alexa =
| website = [https://www.faceapp.com/ faceapp.com]
}}
FaceApp is a photo and video editing application for iOS and Android developed by FaceApp Technology Limited, a company based in Cyprus.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-28 |title=FaceApp: About us |url=https://www.faceapp.com/about/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=FaceApp.com |language=en-US}} The app generates highly realistic transformations of human faces in photographs by using neural networks based on artificial intelligence.{{cite web | last = Stark | first = Harold | title = Introducing FaceApp: The Year Of The Weird Selfies | website = Forbes | date = 25 April 2017 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/haroldstark/2017/04/25/introducing-faceapp-the-year-of-the-weird-selfies/#489efb9543d2}}{{cite web | last = Vincent | first = James | title = This app uses neural networks to put a smile on anybody's face | website = The Verge | date = 27 May 2019 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/1/27/14412814/faceapp-neural-networks-ai-smile-image-manipulation}} The app can transform a face to make it smile, look younger, look older, or change gender.
Features
FaceApp was launched on iOS in January 2017 and on Android in February 2017.{{cite web | last = Vincent | first = James | title = Android users can now harness the power of neural networks to alter faces | website = The Verge | date = 15 February 2017 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/15/14621902/face-altering-app-faceapp-neural-network-android}}{{cite web | last = Tan | first = Yvette | title = Viral selfie-morphing FaceApp launches on Android after huge iOS success | website = Mashable | date = 15 February 2017 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = http://mashable.com/2017/02/15/faceapp-launch-android/}} There are multiple options to manipulate the photo uploaded such as editor options of adding an impression, make-up, smiles, hair colors, hairstyles, glasses, age or beards. Filters, lens blur and backgrounds along with overlays, tattoos, and vignettes are also a part of the app.
The gender change transformations of FaceApp have attracted particular interest from the LGBT and transgender communities, due to their ability to realistically simulate the appearance of a person as the opposite gender.{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2017/05/05/faceapp_s_gender_filter_offers_possibility_for_trans_and_gender_curious.html|title=The Magnetic and Emotionally Complex Power of FaceApp's Gender Filter|last=Cracker|first=Miz|date=5 May 2017|website=Slate|accessdate=13 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/faceapp-transgender/|title=FaceApp's gender swap is playing mind games with trans users|last=Manning|first=Allee|date=1 May 2017|website=The Daily Dot|accessdate=13 June 2017}}
Criticism
In 2019, FaceApp attracted criticism in both the press and on social media over the privacy of user data.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/16/ai-photo-editor-faceapp-goes-viral-again-on-ios-raises-questions-about-photo-library-access-and-clo/|title=AI photo editor FaceApp goes viral again on iOS, raises questions about photo library access|website=TechCrunch|date=17 July 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-17|archive-date=2020-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616011838/https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/16/ai-photo-editor-faceapp-goes-viral-again-on-ios-raises-questions-about-photo-library-access-and-clo/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/faceapp-app-download-challenge-privacy-warnings-old-filter-a9008306.html|title=The worrying thing that happens when you use the viral face aging app|date=2019-07-17|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-07-17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/what-s-fact-and-what-s-fiction-when-it-comes-to-faceapp-20190717-p5284v.html|title=What's fact and what's fiction when it comes to FaceApp?|last=Biggs|first=Tim|date=2019-07-17|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-17}} Among the concerns raised were allegations that FaceApp stored users' photos on their servers, and that their terms of use allowed them to use users' likenesses and photos for commercial purposes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/17/20697771/faceapp-privacy-concerns-ios-android-old-age-filter-russia|title=FaceApp is back and so are privacy concerns|last=Carman|first=Ashley|date=2019-07-17|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2020-02-08}} In response to questions, the company's founder, Yaroslav Goncharov, stated that user data and uploaded images were not being transferred to Russia but instead processed on servers running in the Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/17/faceapp-responds-to-privacy-concerns/|title=FaceApp responds to privacy concerns|website=TechCrunch|date=17 July 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-17|archive-date=2020-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616011837/https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/17/faceapp-responds-to-privacy-concerns/|url-status=live}} According to Goncharov, user photos were only stored on servers to save bandwidth when applying multiple filters, and were deleted shortly after being uploaded. US senator Chuck Schumer expressed "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" and called for an FBI investigation into the app.{{cite news |title=US senator asks FBI to investigate FaceApp |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49027155 |accessdate=18 July 2019 |date=18 July 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2019/07/17/viral-app-faceapp-now-owns-access-to-more-than-150-million-peoples-faces-and-names/|title=Viral App FaceApp Now Owns Access To More Than 150 Million People's Faces And Names|last=Koetsier|first=John|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}
A "hot" transformation was available in the app in 2017 supposedly making its users appear more physically attractive, but this was accused of racism for lightening the skin color of black people and making them look more European. The feature was briefly renamed "spark" before being removed.{{cite web | last = McGoogan | first = Cara | title = FaceApp: Viral selfie app in racism storm over 'hot mode' that lightens skin colour | website = The Telegraph | date = 25 April 2017 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/04/25/faceapp-viral-selfie-app-racism-storm-hot-mode-lightens-skin/}}{{cite web | last = Cresci | first = Elena | title = FaceApp apologises for 'racist' filter that lightens users' skintone | website = The Guardian | date = 25 April 2017 | accessdate = 13 June 2017 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/25/faceapp-apologises-for-racist-filter-which-lightens-users-skintone}} Founder and chief executive Yaroslav Goncharov apologised, describing the situation as "an unfortunate side-effect of the underlying neural network caused by the training set bias, not intended behaviour" and announcing that a "complete fix" was being worked on. In August that year, FaceApp once again faced criticism when it featured "ethnicity filters" depicting "White", "Black", "Asian", and "Indian". The filters were immediately removed from the app.{{cite news|last1=Wattles|first1=Jackie|title=FaceApp removing 'ethnicity filters' after outrage|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/09/technology/faceapp-ethnicity-filter/index.html|accessdate=August 10, 2017|work=CNNMoney|date=August 9, 2017}}{{cite news|title=FaceApp sparks racist backlash for 'black', 'white' and 'Asian' filters|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/09/faceapp-sparks-racist-backlash-black-white-asian-filters/|accessdate=August 10, 2017|work=The Telegraph|date=August 9, 2017}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|40em}}