We did not and do not plan to have any affiliation with any governmental organisations of any country.. Snopes suggests that theres little evidence that this new app is more harmful than other apps that collect any data and suggests that its permissions are similar to apps such as TikTok and Instagram. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. People can select which photos they want to turn into cartoons, and the app will generate thoseimages into caricatures. The domain registrant is not Linerock Investments Ltd, but its founder. These companies are also behind the popular apps "Photo Lab Picture Editor & Art" and "ToonMe - cartoons from photos," two apps that collectively have millions of reviews, the vast majority of which are five stars. The 700-year-old Coronation chair that has been used for the crowning of King Charles has 'jeopardised' the monarchy by meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Do we get our 87p back? Elle Josten of Cape Coral created numerous pictures of her six-month-old son. Hundreds of thousands of people have uploaded high-quality pictures of their faces to the New Profile Pic app in order to get a modified profile picture to use on social media. For other inquiries, Contact Us. It has a shareholder based in Panama City, while a director is based in Russia. That said, New Profile Pic's permissions aren't abnormal. We have never had an office there. No, Im not concerned, she stated. It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. But those rumors dont paint the right picture the app isnt sending your information to Russia. A person can also change the settings on their Android or Apple phones and choose what the app is or isnt allowed to track. READ MORE:If it came to it Moscow couldn't stop NATO nukes and Putin knows it, "We understand that due to the current events in Ukraine, any connection to Russia could raise suspicions.". The app's promotional material states: "The world around us is fast-paced and always evolving. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' Again, we cant help remembering the lookalike Bangladesh story. Was the money refunded? We depend on the generous support of readers like you to help us expose corruption and hold the powerful to account. Some social media users claimed the app was stealing data in a criminal fashion. But some folks like Laura Myer of Fort Myers were suspicious of the app and wanted to know who was behind the artwork. In May 2022, a new profile pic app, officially named "NewProfilePic Picture Editor" in the Apple Store and "NewProfilePic: Profile Picture" in the Google Play store, shot to the top of mobile charts with hundreds of thousands of downloads. The spokesperson said: The address on Moscow River is the address of lawyers who registered the company. Home News Warnings issued over New Profile Pic app that may send your personal information to Russia. However, he has since moved, and the apps domain address has changed. Photo shows what railways in Ohio look like while we send $40 billion to Ukraine.. The firm also collects the IP address, browser type and settings from a computer or the device data from a mobile phone handset. ? ESET Internet Security Global Cybersecurity Advisor Jake Moore has questioned why the popular new app would want such a high level of data from its users, especially when the company is based abroad. Magic Johnson tested positive for HIV "because Faucis gain of function study used a contaminated Hepatitis B vaccine. There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. Facebooks privacy policy is similar. It adds: "We collect your name, email address, user name, social network information and other information you provide when you register.". Everything seems to be controlled by Andersen The company explained that they use Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure, two servers located in the U.S., and that no user images or data are sent to Moscow: However, theres a flip side to the apps popularity. WebLinerock Investments, LTD | 139 followers on LinkedIn. It has told MailOnline it is based in the British Virgin Islands 'with development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus'. This app comes from a company in the British Virgin Islands that uses an international team of developers, some of whom reside in Russia. Something went wrong, please try again later. They also collect data on the user from other companies and combine it with their own dossier. Mr Moore warned: 'Before people upload photos or other personal data to a brand new website, they must carry out their own due diligence where possible. Kathleen Polezhaeva from the company said it is based in the British Virgin Islands and has development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Kathleen Polezhaeva from the company said it is based in the British Virgin Islands and has development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. 'The NewProfilePic app lets you change your user image style as often as you want. She said the firm was only in the Russian capital as that was the former home of the founder of the company, who has now moved. We reached out to Linerock Investments for more information, and a spokesperson told us that, previously, the domain was indeed registered in Moscow because the company's founder had lived there. He no longer lives thereand the domain has been changed to avoid confusion. And the Russian address in domain details was his former Russian address where he hasn't lived for a long time now. "Currently, the address was changed in order to avoid any confusion.". The data comes directly from the leaked files ICIJ has received in connection with various investigations and each dataset encompasses a defined time period specified in the database. "All user photos are hosted and processed on the Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure servers, which are located outside the Russian Federation. NewProfilePics founder was born in Russia and the company has some offices in Russia. The company's data policy states: "We collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Example video title will go here for this video. They said: We are a BVI company with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Copyright 2023 Waterman Broadcasting of Florida, LLC, Warnings issued over New Profile Pic app that may send your personal information to Russia, Hurricane Ian insurance checks are coming with a scary warning, New device allows dogs with separation anxiety to video call their owners, City leaders discuss plans with property owners to revitalize Midtown Fort Myers, Car noise pollution regulations may be coming to Collier County, Boat dumped on side of road in Lehigh Acres, Island Coast baseball prepares for new season after making history, winning state title, Cape Coral mother warns others after daughters accidental fentanyl overdose. But security expert Mr Moore warned: "Before people upload photos or other personal data to a brand new website, they must carry out their own due diligence where possible. In 2017, a St Petersburg-based company released FaceApp, which allowed users to upload a photograph which would be aged using Artificial Intelligence. Youve seen the new Facebook craze on your timeline, where people are swapping their profile picture with a new cartoon-like avatar? Despite the app's popularity, recent claims online question the app's data collection, privacy policies and ties to Russia following a story from the British tabloid Daily Mail with the headline: Russia after YOUR personal data? Although there currently is no evidence to indicate that New Profile Pic is a scam, you should always do your due diligence with new apps. She and others have seen the pictures filling up their Facebook feeds. ;)'. The number of employees ranges from 1 to 25. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, Linerock Investments Ltd is based in Moscow. May 11, 2022, Victor Sazhin, Instagram post, Feb. 20, 2022, Kristina Lunina, spokesperson for Linerock Investments Ltd., May 12, 2022. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Our app is being developed by an international team with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. He MUST seize it, starting with the Budget, writes ANDREW NEIL. On the Apple App Store, the app was rated #1 on the photo and video chart, with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating and more than 16,000 reviews. We looked at the apps permissions in both stores neither of them state that the app accesses peoples banking or contact information. But, express permission is required. The app uses facial recognition technology to find key points on an image of your face uploaded to the servers and then renders a new version. The app is available on Google Play and the AppleApp Store. But according to a rising number of claims, the NewProfilePic app is bad news. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Get our newsletter in your inbox five days a week. The claim that this app was connected to Russia or the Kremlin was based on screenshots that supposedly showed how the website newprofilepic.com had been registered in Moscow. Whenever a popular app comes out, many variations and copycat versions shortly follow, some with nefarious intentions. TikToks privacy policy also says certain data is collected when registering to use the platform. While this app requests permission to access certain data on your phone, these requests aren't unusual. 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In each of these examples, including NewProfilePic, the privacy policies state information could be collected from other third-party, or outside and unaffiliated, applications and shared with those third-party applications. This app is safe for people to use it.". The Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Explaining how the technology works, the App developers said: 'Whenever you choose an effect that involves face manipulations we use special face recognition technologies to detect a photo; find required facial key points, and apply the effect to your photo. The company behind the app denies any wrongdoing. Called NewProfilePic (also NewProfilePic Picture Editor), the app has taken the internet by storm and already boasts tens of thousands of users. Here is what we found out. Snopes does say that people should be aware that the access they grant when they download any app but again NewProfilePic isnt out of the ordinary. But the reality is, if this app or TikTok or any other app from a foreign country, you don't know how they're going to share the data.". 'Although most people will not question the possibilities of anything untoward occurring from simply uploading a photo, the amount of data taken under the radar can often be far more than the user intended on sharing which can cause security and privacy problems. "We may also obtain information from other companies and combine that with the information we collect on the Services.". The spokesperson said the app stores are crowded with similarly named apps, some of which feature subscriptions or in-app purchases. Youve probably seen it sweeping across your social media feeds. This is one example: We have not been able to confirm or disprove that this actually happened. Since publication of this article the app has added in-app purchases. Express. A blog post on Linerock's website pho.to detailed a longer response to the rumors. Meanwhile, the Cyber HelpLine, which describes itself as "expert advice for victims of cybercrime and online security issues in the UK" shared that the website's overall trust score is just 14 percent. WebLinerock Investments, LTD | 91 followers on LinkedIn. At the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, you will find a palate-dazzling smorgasbord of cuisines and cocktails in which to indulge. "The address on Moscow River is the address of lawyers who registered the company. The Transportation Security Administration spent a couple hundred million dollars on gender-neutral screening technology. Video shows President Joe Biden recalling an alien encounter. 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The privacy policy lists what their apps can access. An Instagram post dated Feb. 20 from NewProfilePic founder Victor Sazhin said he was born in Russia. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists offshore leaks database shows that Linerock Investments Ltd has an address in Moscow and is also Social media posts claim the NewProfilePic app accesses peoples banking information and contact lists and sends them to Russia. It is the former Moscow address of the founder of the company. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations. The app is number one in photos on the Apple app store and has been rated 25,000 times on Google Play. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, Linerock is registered in Moscow and has a Russian director. The app then asks for permission to access photos and media on the device. The website of the app, newprofilepic.com is in Moscow. The app developers explain: "Whenever you choose an effect that involves face manipulations we use special face recognition technologies to detect a photo; find required facial key points, and apply the effect to your photo.". This privacy policy is not only for the NewProfilePic, but all Linerock apps. When claims started circulating that the New Profile Pic app was some sort of scam, many people shared screenshots of the app's privacy policy. Kathleen Polezhaeva of Linerock Investments Ltd told MailOnline: 'We are a BVI company with development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. WebFor over 10 years, Linerock Investments, LTD has developed cutting edge online photo processing solutions. The current app portfolio contains 14 apps. On 05/12/2022 Williams filed a Personal Injury - Other Personal Injury lawsuit against Linerock Investments, LTD. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Ellie Bamber, Salma Hayek and Olivia Wilde lead the red Do not sell or share my personal information. VERIFY reached out to Amazon and Microsoft to confirm but did not hear back at the time of publication. Lunina said the domain address in Moscowwas registered tothe former addressof Victor Sazhin, the founder of Linerock. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. stated on February 19, 2023 in an Instagram post. It's also important to read a service's privacy policy before downloading as you may be unknowingly agreeing to share personal information. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists had already included Linerock Investments Ltd on its Offshore Leaks database, showing the firm's registered address was in Central Moscow, The app offers users the opportunity to create quick digital avatars of themselves. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles after Spare memoir, Amy Nuttall caught cheating hubby when he bought sexy lingerie, Constance Marten and lover arrested over manslaughter, Woman found murdered is missing mum who had not been seen since before Xmas, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Linked countries: British Virgin Islands, Russia. Snopes reported that the companys domain was formerly registered in Moscow, but now, its registered in Florida. Moore told VERIFY: People have formed trust over many years with the likes of Facebook and Instagram but when a new app goes viral, it is advised to minimize the amount of data shared where possible and reduce the number of permissions granted. Official govt docs expose Michelle Obamas 14 year history as a man., "Woody Harrelsons 60 seconds in the middle of his monologue was cut out of the edits released after the show., BREAKING Trump preps Marines to stop presidential coup.. stated on November 19, 2022 a screenshot: stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 15, 2023 in a Facebook post: stated on February 26, 2023 in a video on Facebook: stated on February 25, 2023 in an Instagram post: stated on February 18, 2023 in a Facebook post: All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Black Americans are not descended from people who were taken from Africa to be enslaved. WebLinerock Investments Ltd. However, some experts believe that the service, which utilizes facial-recognition technology, is sending users' photographs and data to the Kremlin, per the Daily Mail. 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'It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. "This app is likely a way of capturing people's faces in high resolution and I would question any app wanting this amount of data, especially one which is largely unheard of and based in another country," he added. It is the former Moscow address of the founder of the company. On both Google's and Apple's app store, the developer's location is listed as being Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. MailOnline says the company behind the app, Linerock Investments, is based next to Russia's Ministry of Defence, three miles outside Red Square. The company behind the App is called Linerock Investments Ltd, who according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, is registered in Moscow. While this app requests permission to access photos and media on the.. 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