New viral deepfake app prompts privacy backlash

Several days after its release, viral Chinese deepfake app Zao is facing backlash over the perceived threat to user privacy. The application became number one in less than 24 hours on the Chinese iOS app store. According to the Verge, Zao’s privacy policy generated an almost-immediate backlash from users, who bombarded the App Store with thousands of negative reviews. The privacy policy included a clause which says that its developer gets a ‘free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicense-able’ license to all user-generated content, according to Bloomberg. CNN reports that Zao has now changed its end-user agreement to reflect all the ‘concerns about privacy and safety issues’.