Using AI, the app takes a selfie or a portrait and makes the subject look older or younger than it really is. Yes, ZAO is a fun app to use. Even if the developer has the right to use his photo, username, and real name to promote it. And when the minority leader of the US, Chuck Schumer, says that there may be some dark patterns of deceptive subscribers, it does not seem to prevent US smartphone owners to use FaceApp. Note that the developer of this app is a Russian company.
Now, an app under the name of ZAO is circulating in China. Instead of taking a selfie and adding or taking years away from the subject’s face, this application swaps the user’s face with one that belongs to a celebrity. The app is also available to the Chinese version of the App Store for iOS on Friday and the developer servers almost stopped immediately due to the huge increase in data traffic. The Annie app has ZAO listed as the most downloaded free app in China since September 1st.
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China’s face-swapping app ZAO keeps your image
Consumers register in the app with their phone number and upload the photos with the selfie camera of their phones. Then they can select videos that show the faces of celebrities and exchange them for their own image. While many of the celebrities in the app are famous in China, some include Leonardo Di Caprio and Marilyn Monroe. The face of the Big Bang Theory character, Sheldon Cooper, is also one of the options available to ZAO subscribers.
“If you read our privacy policy, it might ensure you that your FaceApp data is safe. Because of the specific of the AI technology, it is not possible to do some of the edits on a smartphone, they require to be sent to a server. The pictures are deleted within 48 hours. Should you have any questions, please contact us…”- FaceApp
A ZAO subscriber with the name of Gu Shi installed the app after seeing his friends use it to create video clips on the WeChat social network site. Gu said: “I’ve never tried using Japanese makeup and hairstyles because it’s too complicated to do all by myself. This app gave me a chance to try a totally different style from my normal life.” And like FaceApp, ZAO has become viral. However, its privacy policy states that users of the application forfeit all intellectual property rights, which allows ZAO to use the images for marketing purposes.
After 4,000 comments on the application in the Chinese version of the App Store, ZAO had a fairly low rating of 1.9 out of five stars. Users can download this app for free on your iPhone or iPad. The company behind ZAO is Momo, the creators of a dating app that is now a live streaming service. Subsequently, the company was also on the list of the New York Stock Exchange. Because it does not have a product imported to the US. There is no effect of the company by 25% tariffs that came into effect on 1 September. Another 25% of taxes on devices like the iPhone starting December 15th.
(Via: Reuters)
