Talk politics.

White hairs and deep wrinkles. Old age is a subjects that young people tend to avoid. Still, many seem to be eager to get a glimpse of what they'd probably look like when they grow old. The FaceApp provides just that, making you older a few decades ago, within a few seconds. Or maybe younger. Or anything else. All you need is to send a photo of yourself, and make a few clicks.

The social networks have become crowded with old faces as of late. Famous actors, athlets and artists, everyone is publishing their old versions. It's the nex big fad that no one could avoid noticing.

The application is proof of how easily images could be altered and manipulated these days. There's AI at the core of this program, one that's designed to learn from the natural aging processes and apply them to any face. Those who want to make themselves look younger, or test a new haircut, or get a bear overnight, could also use FaceApp. There's not a big variety of options for now, but variety is sure to come later. All that's needed is time, and investment. Some functions, like virtual mustache, are accessible for a modest price of 44 euro. Or for an annual subscription fee of 20 euro.

The FaceApp craze has engulfed millions of folks around the world. Wireless Lab, the Russian company that authored the app, has become immensely successful. Right now their product ranks 1st in downloads at the Apple and Android shops around the world. But success didn't come to them immediately. The app has actually been at the market for almost 2 years. But it only became popular now, when celebs around the world got on the bandwagon.

Of course, now that FaceApp has become the new fad, critics have piled on as well. Some experts are warning that sending personal photos and data could be risky, as it could end up in the wrong hands. But is that really so?

Well, the Wireless Lab HQ is in St.Petersburg, Russia. That's what the terms of service say. Except, save for their address, nothing much is known about the company. If we take a closer look at the terms of privacy, the initial enthusiasm tends to wane. Not only does the company harvest personal data, it also stores all image content. The critics are concerned that the Russian state could use that for their own purposes. The question is, what would Putin do with millions of portrait photos?

Well, probably nothing. What's being sent to the company is the photos of all those users. Of course it's more convenient to store all that data in the cloud. So the servers are not actually in Russia, but in the US, Singapore and Ireland. And they're property of Amazon and Google. The company claims most photos are deleted within 48 hours of use, and the meta-data is provided only to advertising partners (you know, spam). Which is nothing new when you think of it. Facebook and Google have been doing this for years.

On the other hand, the risk remains that some data could be used for "other" purposes. The terms of privacy are somewhat vague, to begin with. In the context of the Russian meddling in the US elections, you could see why this causes a concern. I mean, a Russian company collecting personal data, including photos? I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI steps in soon.

Chuck Schumer has already sent a letter to the authorities, insisting that the FBI and the agency for protecting people's privacy should investigate if the developers of this app aren't providing third parties with personal data of US citizens. He says he's "deeply concerned" with the fact that a rival country known for cyber-attacking the US on a regular basis could now get its paws on personal data of so many US citizens. The Democrats are saying all US presidential candidates should give a personal example and remove this app from their devices.

But is all this hysteria coming solely from the fact that it's Russia that we're talking about here? See, once the initial outrage subsided, it may've started to seem like all the panic was a bit too much. For instance, a French privacy security expert dubbing himself Elliot Anderson has investigated exactly how much data the app usses while running in the background. He told The Guardian that only the photos are being uploaded to the cloud. This runs counter to the rumor that FaceApp would steal all personal photos stored in the user's phone.

Save for the photos, the app also stores the model and the serial number of the device, data which most other apps already harvest for the purposes of their corporate analyses. It would seem the hysteria really does mostly stem from the fact that it's a Russian company. But one could never be too cautious. After all, this is the internet. Once you've connected your device and have started sharing personal info with the web, you can no longer claim to be 100% private.

Oh, and whether we'd really look exactly the way the app claims we would in a few decades, is quite another story.