Is New Profile Pic app safe? Expert warning as users share fears Russia is stealing data

INTERNET users are being warned about the New Profile Pic app as it may be stealing their personal info, one expert has claimed.

A new app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to turn your profile picture into artwork is raising concern among cybersecurity experts.

Internet users are being warned about the New Profile Pic app as it may be stealing their personal info, one expert has claimed

Called NewProfilePic (also NewProfilePic Picture Editor), the app has taken the internet by storm and already boasts tens of thousands of users.

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.

Why do experts think the app is unsafe?

Whenever a popular app comes out, many variations and copycat versions shortly follow, some with nefarious intentions.

In the United States’ Apple App Store, the app is called NewProfilePic Picture Editor and was developed by Informe Laboratories, Inc. – the same developing group that released ToonMe.

However, it seems that the app’s website <NewProfilePic.com> is registered to Linerock Investments, which is based in Moscow not far from Russia’s Ministry of Defence, the Daily Mail said.

While it’s unclear if the app and website are 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.

“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.

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Users on Twitter are also sharing experts’ fears of a Russian-based cyberattack or scam, with one person calling the app a “phishing scam”.

“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.

A second Twitter user warned, “NewProfilePic app is Russian owned and likely to contain ransomware.”

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 14 percent.