In May 2022, a new profile pic app, officially named “NewProfilePic Picture Editor” in the Apple Store and “NewProfilePic: Profile Picture” in the Google Play store, shot to the top of mobile charts with hundreds of thousands of downloads. As people post 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.
Some social media users claimed the app was stealing data in a criminal fashion. Others claimed it was based in Russia and connected to the Kremlin. Another rumor accused the app of being malware and taking money out of people’s accounts. We looked into each of these claims and found that they were largely without merit or unsubstantiated. While this app does collect some user data, its privacy policy isn’t out of the ordinary.
Is the New Profile Pic App Stealing Data?
People are often surprised to learn just how much personal data mobile apps are allowed to access. When claims started circulating that the New Profile Pic app was some sort of scam, many people shared screenshots of the app’s privacy policy.
One person shared a screenshot of the requested app permissions and wrote: “DO NOT download the NEW PROFILE PIC.COM APP it takes all your information and sends it to Moscow!!!!!!!”
The permissions listed in the…
