Clark Howard: Read the fine print before uploading a picture to FaceApp

Jacksonville, FL — The FaceApp challenge taking social media by storm as people download the app, upload a picture, and then the person in the picture is aged dozens of years.

There are new warnings about what might be happening to those pictures after they are uploaded and how they are used in the future. The security concerns are catching Consumer Warrior Clark Howard's attention as he urges people to read the print.

I want you to understand that when you download an app that wants you to take your picture, you have no idea what they are going to do with that image.

In the fine print, the app says it collects users' content such as pictures and other materials posted through FaceApp. In a statement from the app’s developers, it says it performs most of the photo processing in the cloud. The app does not touch any other picture outside of the one the user has picked. The picture that is selected is then stored in the cloud for 48 hours, but the company says it is deleted after that.

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The company behind FaceApp is located in Russia – which has sparked calls from lawmakers to have the FBI and Federal Trade Commission investigate. In the statement, FaceApp says while the core R&D team is located in Russia; user data is not transferred to Russia.

Clark says if someone is uncomfortable with an app having their pictures then they need to remove the pictures from FaceApp’s storage.

1. Open the app on your device

2. Click ‘Settings’

3. Click ‘Support’

4. Click ‘Report a bug’

5. In the subject line of the report, write: privacy

6. Submit it

MORE: Take these steps to protect your privacy on FaceApp