The website of the app, newprofilepic.com is in Moscow. 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. Snopes reported that the companys domain was formerly registered in Moscow, but now, its registered in Florida. It adds: "We collect your name, email address, user name, social network information and other information you provide when you register.". Heres how it works: Once users downloadand openthe app, itasks whetherthey'd like to try a three-day trial for its pro version, which costs $29.99. 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. It's also important to read a service's privacy policy before downloading as you may be unknowingly agreeing to share personal information. Apple will pay customers $700 for a slowed-down iPhone. You can unsubscribe at any time. By now the address has been changed in order to avoid any confusion. Its from a Russian based company and there are already reports of them wiping out bank accounts.". However, it seems that the app's website is registered to Linerock Investments, which is based in Moscow not far from Russia's Ministry of Get our newsletter in your inbox five days a week. Some VERIFY viewers wondered if the photo editing app NewProfilePic has ties to Russia, and asked about its privacy policy. 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. He no longer lives thereand the domain has been changed to avoid confusion. The Daily Mail reported that this app was developed by a Very literally my fatherland is Russia and my motherland is Ukraine.. Oscar Cainer reveals all. Heres how you can tell. On both Google's and Apple's app store, the developer's location is listed as being Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The company currently specializes in the Entertainment area. It said it was only registered in Moscow because that was the former home of the founder of the company, who has now moved. A spokesperson for one of the apps developers said users images are stored on servers in the United States, not Russia. 20006, Florida The app is proving incredibly popular online, offering the chance to turn a photograph of users into attractive, highly-stylised cartoon-style images. Last 30 Days. Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor, ESET Internet Security 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.". To connect with Linerock Investments, LTD employee register on SignalHire. Users can bypass that and head to the apps home screen, which includes a "choose photo" button. Since publication of this article the app has added in-app purchases. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. The Joan Rivers was killed for revealing that Barack Obama is gay and Michelle Obama is transgender. Reputation management expert reveals why it doesn't just happen to 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' We tested and explored NewProfilePic for ourselves. Registered in: Not identified Linked countries: British Virgin Islands, Russia Agent: Commonwealth Trust Limited Search in: The Offshore Leaks data is Jake Moore, a cybersecurity advisor with European cybersecurity company ESET, told VERIFY via email that people should be mindful of what permissions they give to new applications. Its flagship app, Photo Lab, has been downloaded over 200 million times to date, The firm claims the 'detected key points may be kept along with the photo on the servers of our providers for up to two weeks from the last interaction with the photo to speed up further processing of the same photos'. NewProfilePic was created by a mobile development group called Informe Laboratories Inc., and copyrighted by Linerock Investments Ltd., said Kristina Lunina, a Linerock Investments spokesperson. According to a spokesperson for the app, its safe for people to use, they told Snopes. "Currently, the address was changed in order to avoid any confusion.". We have never had an office there. When you download the app, you are agreeing to share your location, your device details and other photos on your social media accounts. But, express permission is required. 'It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. But the Mail says the company behind the app, Linerock Investments, is based next to Russia's Ministry of Defence, three miles outside Red Square. There are concerns over a new app that is turning new profile pics into works of art. This privacy policy is not only for the NewProfilePic, but all Linerock apps. PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact check. When we compared the contents of this screenshot to that of other top apps, such as TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram, we found that requesting users' permission to "receive data from internet" and "have full network access" isn't unusual. 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. "Impress your friends on social media and keep them interested in what's coming next! New Profile Pic was created by a mobile development group called Informe Laboratories, Inc., and copyrighted by Linerock Investments LTD, according to the listings in Google's and Apple's app stores. 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? However, it seems that the app's website is registered to Linerock Investments, which is based in Moscow not far fromRussia's Ministry of Defence, the Daily Mail said. 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. Rifles were involved in 297 deaths in the U.S. in 2022 and constipation killed 2,167., Drinking or using tap water treated with chlorine is dangerous because chlorine is a poison., Joe Biden described America as the foothills of the Himalayas with Xi Jinping., Kid Rock tweeted, Some people wouldnt recognize tyranny if it slapped a mask on their face, made them stand 6 feet apart, and forced them to take a vaccine for a virus with a 99.8% survival rate., The train that derailed in Ohio was carrying over 300,000 gallons of a chemical that was banned in 1974.. 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. 1. Registered in: Not identified. The app can Users on Twitter are also sharing experts' fears of a Russian-based cyberattack or scam, with one person calling the New Profile Pic app a "phishing scam". The permissions listed in the above-displayed image aren't out of the ordinary, in terms of what many popular mobile apps do. Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. Its flagship app, Photo Lab, has been downloaded over 200 million times to date, Linerock Investments, LTD et al Plaintiff: Rakiem Williams, Tony Brown, Meagan Lehnert and Christina Glenn: Defendant: Linerock Investments, LTD and Vicman LLC: Case Number: 1:2022cv02531: Filed: May 12, 2022: Court: US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: Presiding Judge: Robert M Dow: Nature of Suit: The Dailymail interviewed a Global Cybersecurity "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. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. Both of those apps have been around for years, and we are unaware of any reports that they have been used to steal money from people's bank accounts, or to give users' data to the Kremlin. The app does not ask for that information. 33701 Linerock Investments LTD is an Android developer, who started in 2010, and thus is one of the Android pioneers. The Linerock Investments, LTD annual revenue is estimated at < 1M. But some folks like Laura Myer of Fort Myers were suspicious of the app and wanted to know who was behind the artwork. Again, we cant help remembering the lookalike Bangladesh story. 1800 I Street NW The top management of the company and the managers of the majority of the projects, including myself, are based out of these countries, Polezhaeva said. It has been downloaded more than a million times and has almost 50,000 reviews on the Google Play Store. By now the address has been changed in order to avoid any confusion. We looked at the apps permissions in both stores neither of them state that the app accesses peoples banking or contact information. A spokesperson for the App told MailOnline: "We are a BVI company with development offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus," and said they do not share any user information in a way that is not listed in their privacy policy. Is New Profile Pic App a Russian Malware Scam? A persons contact list could be accessed and the app could collect visual information through the images that you upload, including your profile photos. Others claimed it was based in Russia and connected to the Kremlin. According to Polezhaeva, the domain name for www.newprofilepic.com, the website affiliated with the app, was originally registered by an attorney with Andersen Business Services, Inc., which has an office in Moscow. The company's data policy is clear that 'we collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us'. xperts have warned users against using a new profile picture app, offering free digital avatars, due to its connections to Russia. Please contact us if you find an error in the database. "It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. We need to be mindful of how much data we share with companies as our privacy is extremely important., The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Meanwhile, the Cyber Helpline, which offers advice to online victims, gives the overall trust score for this app is just 14%. While this app does collect some user data, its privacy policy isn't out of the ordinary. Interested in what 's coming next he no longer lives thereand the was... Million times and has almost 50,000 reviews on the Google Play store the permissions listed in the British Islands... 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