MANILA, Philippines — “Data could be used by people with bad intentions.”
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto issued this warning Saturday amid the proliferation of edited versions of people’s faces via FaceApp.
Sotto said he is not annoyed by the viral app. He said he finds it funny.
Responding to a netizen’s query if he is starting to get annoyed by FaceApp and the usage of his photos for posting and sharing, the said Pasig City chief executive said: “Nakakatuwa siya. Hindi po ako naiinis. Pero kung babasahin niyo ‘yung thread na ni-quote ko makikita niyo kung bakit may pangamba ang iba sa mga app katulad nito,” Sotto wrote in a tweet.
(It is funny. I am not annoyed. But if you will read the thread that I quoted, you will see why others fear apps such as this.)
The smartphone application has again become viral as it is being used to edit faces of politicians and celebrities, including Sotto.
“The way it appears to me, apps like #FaceApp don’t pose a NEW danger. It’s not that difficult to get/steal pictures and data from people,” he also said.
“The scary thing is the speed and scale at which they can now do it, while we unknowingly help them,” the young city mayor added.
Nakakatuwa siya. Hindi po ako naiinis. Pero kung babasahin niyo yung thread na ni-quote ko makikita niyo kung bakit may pangamba ang iba sa mga app katulad nito.
Data could be used by people with bad intentions.#FaceApp
— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) June 20, 2020
Sotto also shared a quote from the non-profit organization Computer Professionals’ Union which stated that FaceApp is being allowed to “use, reproduce, modify, adapt, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display User Content.”
Previously, US authorities called for a probe into FaceApp amid reports that the Russian-made app was stealing data from its users.