ZAO face swapping app raises privacy, fraud concerns
An app enabling users to superimpose a single image of their face onto videos of celebrities such as Leonardo di Caprio and Marilyn Monroe prompted concerns about privacy, copyright and security . ZAO quickly surged in popularity , becoming t he most downloaded free app in China’s iOS App Store shortly after its launch in September 2019 . But o ne section of the app's user agreement stated that users uploading their images to ZAO gave it ' free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicenseable ' rights over the intellectual property rights to their faces, and permitted ZAO to share their images with whomever it chose and use their images for marketing purposes . ZAO lists as its developer Changsha Shenduronghe Network Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Momo that owns a live-streaming and dating service. Momo apologised for the terms of the agreement and revised it to say that it would not ' excessively collect user information .' Despite Momo's assurances, the ease with which identities could be swapped prompted platforms such as China's Weixin/WeChat to ban users from uploading ZAO-made videos to them on the basis that they were seen as a potential security risk. The app's ability to generate deepfake videos from a single selfie in 8 seconds also raised concerns about potential misuse and spreading misinformation. Deepfake Deepfakes (a portmanteau of ' deep learning ' and 'fake') are images, videos, or audio which are edited or generated using artificial intelligence tools, and which may depict real or non-existent people. Source: Wikipedia 🔗 System 🤖 ZAO app 🔗 Operator: ZAO users Developer: Changsha Shenduronghe Network Technology Country: China Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Swap faces Technology: Deepfake - image Issue: Copyright; Mis/disinformation; Privacy; Security
- Date it happened
- 2019-09-01
- Organisation involved
- Changsha Shenduronghe Network Technology
- Product, system or model
- ZAO
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