The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers all mobile applications developed in Russia, including FaceApp, as a potential counterintelligence threat. This is stated in the corresponding letter, which the bureau sent to the leader of the Democrats in the Senate Chuck Sumer. According to the FBI, the Russian authorities "can get remote access to all communication channels and servers on Russian networks" without asking a provider.
“The FBI considers any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, a potential counterintelligence threat that relies on the data collected by the product, its privacy policy, terms of use, and legal mechanisms available to the Russian government that allow access to data within Russian borders, ”says the letter authored by the FBI Assistant Director of Congressional Affairs Jill Tyson.
If FaceApp is found to interfere in any way with future US elections, the agency will take action, Tyson said.
During his Senate speech on Monday, Schumer urged Americans to remove apps like FaceApp, and stressed that Russia may not be the only country to pose a threat to national security through apps:
"The FBI did not name other countries, but I would, of course, name not only Russia, but also China, Iran, and there are others," he added.
In July, the FaceApp developers said that they do not transfer any user data to third parties. According to them, all the functions of the application are available without registering and logging in, so developers simply do not receive most of the data to identify users.
“The FBI considers any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, a potential counterintelligence threat that relies on the data collected by the product, its privacy policy, terms of use, and legal mechanisms available to the Russian government that allow access to data within Russian borders, ”says the letter authored by the FBI Assistant Director of Congressional Affairs Jill Tyson.
If FaceApp is found to interfere in any way with future US elections, the agency will take action, Tyson said.
During his Senate speech on Monday, Schumer urged Americans to remove apps like FaceApp, and stressed that Russia may not be the only country to pose a threat to national security through apps:
"The FBI did not name other countries, but I would, of course, name not only Russia, but also China, Iran, and there are others," he added.
In July, the FaceApp developers said that they do not transfer any user data to third parties. According to them, all the functions of the application are available without registering and logging in, so developers simply do not receive most of the data to identify users.
