By Skandha Gunasekara While there haven’t been any problems concerning the recently popularised FaceApp, authorities warn that it must be used with caution as identity theft is a possibility. Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) Associate Information Security Engineer Ravindu Meegasmulla told The Morning that FaceApp’s facial recognition software could be used for nefarious uses. “To use FaceApp, the user must give the app permission to use the phone camera as well as access to one’s gallery. This allows the application to download and store a user’s face and other pictures,” he said, noting that this information could then be used by third parties for illegal activities such as identity theft. However, Meegasmulla noted that similar permission is given to more prominent and widely used apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp. “No issues or complaints regarding FaceApp have been reported so far. Many other popular apps also have the same access to one’s pictures and camera, so it is always safe to be extra cautious when using such apps and divulging such personal information,” Meegasmulla said. FaceApp is an application that can be used to swap faces of individuals on a smart device, including pictures taken by users.