The app, NewProfilePic is run by the company, Linerock Investments Ltd which is registered in Moscow, Russia. WebLinerock Investments LTD. Worldwide Totals (17 apps) Period: Last 30 Days. ;)'. According to Linerocks privacy policy, the company only collects personal information that is voluntarily provided. The app is available on Google Play and the AppleApp Store. 'This app is likely a way of capturing peoples 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. The app then asks for permission to access photos and media on the device. To better understand how Linerocks privacy policy compares to other applications, VERIFY analyzed the privacy policies for other popular applications. TikToks privacy policy also says certain data is collected when registering to use the platform. The company currently specializes in the Entertainment area. We have never had an office there. Discover best apps & games for you from over 6,000,000 apps. The company's data policy states: "We collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us. On the day of the Dec. 6 runoff, armed groups of Black Panthers were reportedly patrolling certain voting locations in Georgia. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. The firms data policy states it collects certain personal information that you voluntary provide to us. It has told MailOnline it is based in the British Virgin Islands 'with development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus'. Our app is being developed by an international team with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The company behind the App is called Linerock Investments Ltd, who according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks The app can The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. According to Snopes data gathering, the website was actually showing its registration in Florida. District of Columbia More info, Tens of thousands of people have been uploading their photographs to the servers of the New Profile Pic app in exchange for the free avatar. However, a check of Sunbiz found no company named Linerock Investments Ltd operating or doing business in Florida. Experts warn internet users not to download latest online craze New Profile Pic that hoovers up your details.. Linerocks headquarters are based in the British Virgin Islands, and they have development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. ESET Internet Security Global Cybersecurity Advisor Jake Moore has questioned why the popular new app would want such a high level of data from its users, especially when the company is based abroad. It's also important to read a service's privacy policy before downloading as you may be unknowingly agreeing to share personal information. MailOnline says the company behind the app, Linerock Investments, is based next to Russia's Ministry of Defence, three miles outside Red Square. "Impress your friends on social media and keep them interested in what's coming next! An Instagram post dated Feb. 20 from NewProfilePic founder Victor Sazhin said he was born in Russia. He MUST seize it, starting with the Budget, writes ANDREW NEIL. Always cite the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists when using this data. Oscar Cainer reveals all. Express. A spokesman for the app told the publication that it is based in the British Virgin Islands with some development offices in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and that it Let it be different, always new and made by AI! It has a shareholder based in Panama City, while a director is based in Russia. It is scraping the data from your Facebook account, he stressed. AppGrooves offers you "Best 10 Apps" for over 600 micro categories. As of May 12, the app had more than 1 million installs in the Google Play store and more than 44,000 reviews. Users have been updating their profile pictures with a new image created by the app - unaware their information is being sent to a company registered in Russia. Contrary to the claim, it doesnt include banking information or contacts. 'We understand that due to the current events in Ukraine, any connection to Russia could raise suspicions.'. It is the former Moscow address of the founder of the company. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A blog post from the app developers published May 11 touting the apps success also confirms the office locations. And the Russian address in domain details was his former Russian address where he hasn't lived for a long time now. We looked at the apps permissions in both stores neither of them state that the app accesses peoples banking or contact information. Last 90 Days. However, a check of Sunbiz found no company named Linerock Investments Ltd operating or doing business in Florida. View our online Press Pack. They also collect data on the user from other companies and combine it with their own dossier. Lastly, the claim that users of this app had money taken out of their bank accounts is, so far, unsubstantiated. Snopes does say that people should be aware that the access they grant when they download any app but again NewProfilePic isnt out of the ordinary. Polezhaeva confirmed the domains registered address was changed at some point on May 11. If you are going to download these types of apps to have fun on social media platforms whether its Facebook or othersmaybe not use your true cell phone, he said. "Regardless of where they are based, I would always err on the side of caution when handing over sensitive data as once it has gone it is virtually impossible to gain control of it back.". To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Kate Polezhaeva, a spokesperson for Linerock Investment LTD, which developed NewProfilePic, told VERIFY via email the company currently has development and customer support offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. 1800 I Street NW They said: We are a BVI company with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. WebBest 31 Apps by "Linerock Investments LTD", such as Photo Lab Picture Editor & Art , Visage Lab face retouch , ToonMe - cartoons from photos , Christmas Photo Frames, Effects & Cards Art and Photo Collada collage maker . The Standard has reached out to Google Play and Linerock Investments ltd for comment. St. Petersburg, FL Its flagship app, Photo Lab, has been downloaded over 200 million | For over 10 years, Linerock Investments, LTD has developed cutting edge online photo processing solutions. He updated it yesterday after seeing its part in the Daily Mail post, she said in the email. WebPhoto Lab boasts one of the vastest collections of stylish and funny photo effects: more than 900 effects to date! Developers Origins. The Dailymail interviewed a Global Cybersecurity | For over 10 years, Linerock Investments, LTD has developed cutting edge online photo processing solutions. 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. "The NewProfilePic app lets you change your user image style as often as you want. 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? He does not live in the Russian Federation at the moment. NewProfilePics data privacy policy isnt particularly unique. However, the spokesperson said that that person had relocated, and so the company changed the address of the domain registration "to avoid any confusion.". For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Internet users are being warned about the New Profile Pic app as it may be stealing their personal info, one expert has claimed, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 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. Hitler didnt kill 6 million Jews and the Holocaust is not what happened.. The data police states we collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us. The apps owners told Snopes that the company never had an office in Russia, but lawyers at Andersen Business Services who registered it do have an address on Last 365 Days. That said, New Profile Pic's permissions aren't abnormal. But the reality is, if this app or TikTok or any other app from a foreign country, you don't know how they're going to share the data.". In a word, no. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Need more. 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For other inquiries, Contact Us. App creator and founder of Linerock Investment, Victor Sazhain, is from Russia and responded to the rumors: "The war between Russia and Ukraine has been always unthinkable. 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. Moore told VERIFY: People have formed trust over many years with the likes of Facebook and Instagram but when a new app goes viral, it is advised to minimize the amount of data shared where possible and reduce the number of permissions granted. A shareholder is located in Panama City, while a director is located in Russia. On the Apple App Store, the app was rated #1 on the photo and video chart, with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating and more than 16,000 reviews. They simply remove the app afterwards (which does not stop the subscription) and get charged after the trial is over. This is one example: We have not been able to confirm or disprove that this actually happened. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Lunina said the domain address in Moscowwas registered tothe former addressof Victor Sazhin, the founder of Linerock. Tens of thousands of people have already uploaded their photographs to the servers of the New Profile Pic app. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, Linerock is registered in Moscow and has a Russian director. While this app does collect some user data, its privacy policy isn't out of the ordinary. A spokesperson for one of the apps developers said users images are stored on servers in the United States, not Russia. We looked into each of these claims and found that they were largely without merit or unsubstantiated. Last 60 Days. The app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to turn your profile picture into artwork, but it is raising concern among cybersecurity experts over its Russian links. 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". The archive had a timestamp of 08:07:36 that day. We suggest you confirm the identities of any individuals or entities included in the database based on addresses or other identifiable information. A spokesperson for the app told Dailymail that they do not share user information. The new fad is getting a lot of attention but the new app reportedly is sending your information to Russia. I think Facebook has a lot more info than TikTok does. 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: We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 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. The concern is that the app may contain dangerous Russian malware. The spokesperson said the app stores are crowded with similarly named apps, some of which feature subscriptions or in-app purchases. It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. stated on February 19, 2023 in an Instagram post. 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