ZAO face swapping app raises privacy, fraud concerns

An app enabling users to superimpose a single image of their face onto videos of celebrities such as Leonardo di Caprio and Marilyn Monroe prompted concerns about privacy, copyright and security.

ZAO quickly surged in popularity, becoming the most downloaded free app in China’s iOS App Store shortly after its launch in September 2019.

But one section of the app's user agreement stated that users uploading their images to ZAO gave it 'free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicenseable' rights over the intellectual property rights to their faces, and permitted ZAO to share their images with whomever it chose and use their images for marketing purposes.

ZAO lists as its developer Changsha Shenduronghe Network Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Momo that owns a live-streaming and dating service. Momo apologised for the terms of the agreement and revised it to say that it would not 'excessively collect user information.'

Despite Momo's assurances, the ease with which identities could be swapped prompted platforms such as China's Weixin/WeChat to ban users from uploading ZAO-made videos to them on the basis that they were seen as a potential security risk.

The app's ability to generate deepfake videos from a single selfie in 8 seconds also raised concerns about potential misuse and spreading misinformation.