The domain registrant is not Linerock Investments Ltd, but its founder. So, are hackers from halfway around the world really stealing your data and your face with this app? 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. Thebank that won't pass on rate rises unless you ring and ask:Just one of the ruses greedy lenders use to Tory Eurosceptics could take TWO WEEKS to decide whether to back Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal for Northern BBC journalists vote 'overwhelmingly' to stage series of strikes in move that could sabotage corporation's More snow and ice could batter Britain next week: Met Office warns Arctic blast from Greenland could send Is YOUR lifestyle good for your heart? Overall, we estimate that Linerock Investments LTDs apps have collected about 300 million installs, 6 million of them in the last 30 days. While it's unclear if the app and website are even affiliated, Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor, ESET Internet Security told MailOnline that users need to be cautious when uploading photographs or personal data to a new website. The website of the app, newprofilepic.com is in Moscow. "Youre giving it permission to have access to your cards, any banking information on your phone, contacts, etc. Get our newsletter in your inbox five days a week. The only purpose of this is to speed up any further processings of the same photo., Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor, ESET Internet Security told MailOnline: "This app is likely a way of capturing peoples 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.". Inside the forest palace 'Putin shares with his gymnast lover and their secret children': Luxury estate Vanessa Bryant settles with LA County for $28,850,000 over misuse of photos from helicopter crash that What does the 1st March say for MY star sign? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Linerock Investments, LTD is a private company. Nothing gets sent to Russia. It asks for access to the users camera, photos and media. It has told MailOnline it is based in the British Virgin Islands 'with development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus'. Very literally my fatherland is Russia and my motherland is Ukraine.. Sazhin wrote in an Instagram post of his own Russian and Ukrainian heritage, noting that the companys team consists ofpeople from both countries. These are the five different single 'types' on the dating scene - and why knowing your personality is the Theatre issues trigger warning for production which 'involves the handling of a cooked egg'. Was the money refunded? Polezhaeva told VERIFY all user photos are hosted and processed on Amazon and Microsoft servers, which are based in the U.S. and are outside the Russian Federation. A second Twitter user echoed the sentiment, saying "NewProfilePic app is Russian owned and likely to contain ransomware.". You can also follow us on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. The app is proving incredibly popular online, offering the chance to turn a photograph of users into attractive, highly-stylised cartoon-style images. The apps domain was formerly registered in Moscow because the founder once lived there. "He does not live in the Russian Federation now," she wrote in an email to PolitiFact. Social media posts claim the NewProfilePic app accesses peoples banking information and contact lists and sends them to Russia. Developers Origins. Lunina said the apps permissions arent much different from those on Instagram or TikTok. The servers that host users images are based in the U.S., not Russia. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Whenever a popular app comes out, many variations and copycat versions shortly follow, some with nefarious intentions. No, Im not concerned, she stated. The spokesperson said: We are a BVI company. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, Linerock is registered in Moscow and has a Russian director. Last 90 Days. 20006, Florida DON'T MISSKyiv stands tall after Putin bombardment with two-thirds returning[LATEST]Ukraine ambassador blasts Austria protesters removed from Russia rally[REPORT]Exactly how the UK would react if Russia attacks a NATO ally[ANALYSIS]. 'Regardless of where they are based, I would always err on the side of caution when handing over sensitive data as once it has gone it is virtually impossible to gain control of it back.'. If you will check the search results you will see other apps with pretty similar titles. The domain registrant is not Linerock Investments Ltd, but its founder. We need your help. 1. AppGrooves offers you "Best 10 Apps" for over 600 micro categories. Its flagship app, Photo Lab, has been downloaded over 200 million times to date, Android, Android. You can download a raw copy of the database here. The number of employees ranges from 1 to 25. District of Columbia 33701 Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. It continues: 'We collect your name, email address, user name, social network information and other information you provide when you register.'. Case Summary. "We did not and do not plan to have any affiliation with any governmental organizations of any country.". NewProfilePic does not store users accounts or any personal information, Polezhaeva told VERIFY. "If you have it on your phone, delete it, if you gave it full permissions change your passwords warn your bank, there has been a huge uptick of bank accounts being drained and people being shut out of their accounts," the user added. It is misleading and some users download several apps to get the effect and in some they may activate the trial via the paywall. "This app is likely a way of capturing peoples 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. This ICIJ database contains information on more than 810,000 offshore entities that are part of the Pandora Papers, Paradise Papers, Bahamas Leaks, Panama Papers and Offshore Leaks investigations. 1800 I Street NW As people posted photos from this new app, a piece of mobile software that uses artificial intelligence to create profile pics that look as if they had been painted, messages started circulating on social media claiming that this app was some sort of Russian malware scam. When VERIFY searched WHOIS later on May 11, the registered address for NewProfilePic.com was changed to Florida. WebOverview. Creators of photo editing apps. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists offshore leaks database shows that Linerock Investments Ltd has an address in Moscow and is also A post shared by Victor Sazhin (@victorsazhin), Our team has development offices in Moscow and Kiev [Ukraine], Novosibirsk [Russia] and Odessa [Ukraine]. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. We looked at the apps permissions in both stores neither of them state that the app accesses peoples banking or contact information. Everything I found out it seems like a Russian hack is getting personal information from Americans, she said. Magic Johnson tested positive for HIV "because Faucis gain of function study used a contaminated Hepatitis B vaccine. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. We tested and explored NewProfilePic for ourselves. We have never had an office there. 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 data police states we collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us. Also I would love to see Animation like Ai Face Animator.'. Box 438, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin Islands. 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In a word, no. This account already exists. If youve downloaded the new app fad going around making your pictures into characters DELETE IT!" This is one example: We have not been able to confirm or disprove that this actually happened. While there is no evidence of anything malicious, Ritter offered advice for anyone downloading the app. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Medic bags distributed to West Virginias EMS workforce, Millions of dollars and hundreds of orange barrels, Best Virginias Flowers to play at Wheelings first, Ohio Valley man part of rare disease clinical trial, Mayor Elliott says business will be booming when, No umps when Orioles and Pirates play unneeded bottom, Wheeling Central Headed To The State Tournament, Aiden Davis Sets Records As Park Advances. WebLinerock Investments Ltd. Get a D&B Hoovers Free Trial Overview Company Description: ? 'All user photos are hosted and processed on the Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure servers, which are located outside the Russian Federation. Last 30 Days. We found thats true, except for a key difference TikTok and Instagram both ask for permission to access peoples contact lists to connect users with their friends on the apps. Tens of thousands of people have already uploaded their photographs to the servers of the New Profile Pic app. So currently the charges are not triggered by our apps, but by the competitors. A spokesman for the app told the publication that it is based in the British Virgin Islands with some development offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and that it Example video title will go here for this video. Russia Recent changes: We want Photo Lab to be your little secret tool for great photos, that's why we keep improving it 24/7. 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He told MailOnline: "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.". Users have been updating their profile pictures with a new image created by the app - unaware their information is being sent to a company registered in Russia. VERIFY reached out to Amazon and Microsoft to confirm but did not hear back at the time of publication. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The App offers 'the latest AI technology' and a 'constantly updated collection of amazing styles'. The Dailymail interviewed a Global Cybersecurity Advisor that said the app can capture your face in high resolution and questions why an app would want this much data, especially in another country. They said: We are a BVI company with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Updated [May 13, 2022]: Added statement from cybersecurity expert. Many people and entities have the same or similar names. Here is what we found out. When deciding to download the app, users must be prepared to share their location, details about the computer or mobile device they are using, as well as other pictures on their social media accounts. The privacy policy lists what their apps can access. We have never had an office there. 801 3rd St. S One of its shareholders is based in Panama City, while a director is also based in Russia. Our Android team - mostly Ukrainian, Sazhins post said. Linerock Investments LTD is an Android developer, who started in 2010, and thus is one of the Android pioneers. Polezhaeva told VERIFY Linerock Investment LTD was founded in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The outlet reports that the company behind the app is called Linerock Investments Ltd, which according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, is registered in Moscow. 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. It is the former Moscow address of the founder of the company. He does not live in the Russian Federation at the moment. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. We looked into each of these claims and found that they were largely without merit or unsubstantiated. For other inquiries, Contact Us. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Snopes says the app, though, was developed by a company in the British Islands and some of their international developers live in Russia. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Google Play, NewProfilePic: Profile Picture, accessed May 12, 2022, App Store, NewProfilePic Picture Editor, accessed May 12, 2022, Pho.to, Privacy Policy, accessed May 12, 2022, NewProfilePic home page, accessed May 12, 2022, Google Play, Instagram, accessed May 13, 2022, Google Play, TikTok, accessed May 13, 2022, Snopes, Is New Profile Pic App a Russian Malware Scam? By agreeing to download the app, users are willing to share their location, details about the device they are using as well as other photographs on their social media feeds. A spokesperson for the app told us: "The NewProfilePic app does not store users' accounts or any personal data. According to the The company behind the App is called Linerock Investments Ltd, who according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks A persons contact list could be accessed and the app could collect visual information through the images that you upload, including your profile photos. We suggest you confirm the identities of any individuals or entities included in the database based on addresses or other identifiable information. An Instagram post dated Feb. 20 from NewProfilePic founder Victor Sazhin said he was born in Russia. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. "GUYS! However, it seems that the app's website
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