July 18,2019:
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has asked FBI to assess whether personal user data of millions of Americans could find its way into the hands of the Russian government after it has been uploaded onto a popular FaceApp application.
He wrote on twitter that,"FBI and FTC must look into the national security and privacy risks now because millions of Americans have used FaceApp, an application owned by a Russia-based company".
Schumer added that,"Users are required to provide full, irrevocable access to their personal photos and data".
In his letter to FBI, Schumer stated that,"FaceApp's location in Russia raises questions regarding how and when the company provides access to the data of U.S. citizens to third parties, including potentially foreign governments," Schumer wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wry, adding that "Russia remains a significant counterintelligence threat."
The letter states that,"It would be deeply troubling if the sensitive personal information of U.S. citizens was provided to a hostile foreign power actively engaged in cyber hostilities against the United States".
Senator went on to ask FBI to assess whether personal user data uploaded on FaceApp "may be finding its way into the hands of the Russian government, or entities with ties to the Russian government," and, if so, to take immediate steps to mitigate the risk.
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