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Chinese Deepfake App That Puts Users In Movies Faces Backlash For Privacy Policy

Updated August 16, 2021

The further technology progresses, the more life can start to resemble science fiction.

But while that may seem like an exciting prospect, it's important to remember that sci-fi isn't always about wondrous adventures and the joys of discovery.

Indeed, Black Mirror and the works of cyberpunk authors like William Gibson emphasize how tech that seems like it can let us do more can also lead us to situations where we feel more trapped than ever.

So while the sophisticated tech and staggering potential of a new app that uses deepfake technology are amazing to behold, critics have some very real reasons to be concerned.

Over the last weekend, an app called Zao has become a viral sensation in China.

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As The Guardian reported, this app allows users to replace the faces of movie and TV characters with their own for the duration of a whole scene.

Not only that, but it does this so seamlessly that it creates the impression that the user was there all along.

The app works by prompting users to send in videos of themselves blinking, moving their mouths, and making various faces.

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However, critics' issues with the app concern what Momo Inc, the company behind Zao, is then empowered to do once they have this facial data.

According to The Guardian, Momo Inc.'s privacy policy stated that they had "free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicenseable" rights to all user-generated content.

As you may recall, FaceApp faced similar backlash soon after their app that allwoed users to age themselves became a viral hit.

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As USA Today reported, their terms of service empowered FaceApp to use and reproduce any user content and any personal information obtained by users for whatever purpose they wished.

In other words, by agreeing to their terms and conditions, users agree to let them sell their photos and information to anyone FaceApp desires without compensation.

Although Zao remained China's top app even as the controversy ramped up, Momo Inc. has apparently felt the pressure.

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As The Guardian reported, they have since updated Zao's terms of service to say they will only use headshots or videos uploaded by users to improve the app and will remove any content that users choose to delete from their servers.

However, the implications of deepfake technology itself carries its own concerns.

Given that a rash of widespread misinformation had already raised public alarms during the 2016 Presidential Election, observers like Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg have already expressed concern for how easily deepfakes could be used to further distort our perception of political reality.

h/t: The Guardian

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