Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) — While playing with face apps can be fun, a cyber security expert warns of some risks that come with uploading personal data onto the internet.
“If you’re concerned that your face, with your name, with your other information is uploaded into somebody else’s server, then that means that particular person can actually create a clone of you, someone that looks like you with your name on it and I’m sure your birthday is available somewhere,” Redoble said in an interview.
“With this information, somebody can create an identity out of your being, and it can be used for fraudulent transactions. That’s the worse-case scenario,” he added.
This week, FaceApp again trended among mobile users because of a feature that allows users to see what they might look like as the opposite sex.
While Redoble agreed that using the app can be fun, he pointed out that these kinds of applications gather information that can be misused or abused by other people.
“This is very dangerous because you’re not only creating a woman or a man version out of yourself, you are actually uploading it somewhere and giving someone unlimited access to your personal information,” Redoble said.
“In the end, especially if it was used for some cybercrime or fraudulent transactions, I would have to prove that I was compromised or my information was stolen and that might be a difficult thing for me to do,” he added.
Another cybersecurity issue netizens have to deal with now are fake accounts making use of their name and photos and posting them on social media.
When asked how secure the Philippine cyberspace is today, Redoble said work is being done to improve it but that individuals must also do their part to protect themselves.
“What the service providers and the government [are] doing is really improving the cyber security posture of the Philippine cyberspace,” Redoble said. “The other part of it is what the other users need to contribute as well because there are security aspects that the users need to do themselves.”
Philippine Institute for Cyber Security chairman and founder Angel Redoble told CNN Philippines that information collected when using these popular applications can be uploaded on servers outside of the country.
