Double Tap to Zoom

Following the popularity — and controversy — of FaceApp, another face-swapping app is making the rounds with similar virality and privacy concerns. ZAO is the deepfake app that allows users to place their faces into scenes from popular movies and shows. While it's gone viral in China, the app is raising serious concerns over a perceived threat to user privacy.

The app launched in China on Friday August 30 and has already become the most downloaded app in China's iOS App Store. With a single uploaded image, the app is able to conjure convincing deepfake videos of famous movie moments. However, ZAO generated an almost-immediate backlash. Bloomberg reports that the privacy policy includes a clause which gives the developer a “free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicense-able” license to all user-generated content.

Users quickly flooded the App Store listing with negative reviews, forcing the company to quickly respond, saying it won’t use users’ data for anything other than app improvements without their consent.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Twitter post.

Following a similar controversy as FaceApp from earlier this year, read up on the potential privacy threat of downloading such apps here.

We Recommend
  • Say Hola To OTZ LAB
  • Soundboks Mix and the Quest to Amplify Everyday Life
  • This Is the Formula 1 Grade Mercedes of E-Bikes. No, Seriously
  • Odlo Is Built for Cold Days Not Just Cool Fits
What To Read Next
  • Don Cheadle Is Really That Guy
  • Not Even Reebok's Classic Tennis Sneaker Is Safe From the Snoafer Effect
  • Off-White™'s Famous Friends Are Jumpstarting Its New Era (EXCLUSIVE)
  • Workwear Pants That Are Clocking Overtime This Spring
  • This Techy Slip-On Is the 3D-Printed Future of Air Max
  • Nike's New Liquid Air Max Is a Swampy Stomper