Apple and Google have been fined R$19 million (about US$3.1 million) in Brazil after a judge ruled that the companies contributed to allowing the controversial photo editor FaceApp to improperly collect data from its users, reports 9to5Mac.
As reported by the Brazilian site UOL, Judge Douglas de Melo Martins ruled this week that both tech giants were responsible for distributing FaceApp, which is accused of “improperly collecting sensitive data” from its users. The judge believes that the photo editor app violates the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, a law that regulates the use of the internet and digital platforms in the country.
FaceApp is a photo and video editing app for iOS and Android devices. It was developed by FaceApp Technology Limited, a company based in Cyprus. The app is designed to generate realistic transformations of human faces in photographs by using neural networks based on artificial intelligence.
In 2019, FaceApp attracted criticism in both the press and on social media over the privacy of user data.[8][9][10] Among the concerns raised were allegations that FaceApp stored users’ photos on their servers, and that their terms of use allowed them to use users’ likenesses and photos for commercial purposes.
In addition to the fine, the judge’s decision also orders Apple and Google to pay compensation of R$500 (US$82) to each person in Brazil who has downloaded and used FaceApp since June 2020. In response, Apple said it has no control over FaceApp’s terms of use and privacy policy as it is “distributed and maintained by a third party.” Apple also argues that the data was collected in accordance with “international standards.”