Recently, the “New Profile Pic” app i.e., a new photo editing application has been in the headlines and social media users are in confusion whether it’s just a snapshot fun or a scam. Keeping that in mind, we decided to investigate it ourselves.
As you’ve seen most of your social media friends have updated their profile pictures that resemble cartoons or paintings of themselves. They’re probably editing their photos using a free app that is the newest social media trend called NewProfilePic.com. Even though these pictures are alluring, using this app might not be a good idea, though not for the reasons some claim. Let’s examine its authenticity in the article.
What is “newprofilepicture.com”?
NewProfilePic.com or New Profile Pic is an application that you can download for Android or iOS. As you can determine by its name that it makes your profile photo seem like a cartoon or a painting by using artificial intelligence. People not only enjoy updating their profile pictures, but they also edit photos of famous people and their pets. On social media, this free-of-cost app has become one of the most popular apps nowadays and No. 1 on the Apple Store.
How to edit photos using the newprofilepicture.com?
Firstly, you’ve to download the app on your phone whether it’s Android or iOS. Now follow the steps that are discussed below.
Step 1: Take Permissions
Grant the conventional permissions after opening the NewProfilePic app. To serve customized advertisements, it’ll ask for your consent to track your online activities. But you have the option to deny the app to not track you. It requests your permission to send a notification, and further requests to access your images. This app claims that all the photos you edit in the app are sent to its servers for processing anonymously.
Step 2: Select an Image
Once you figured out all the permissions, the app’s main screen will appear and prompt you to select an image. Either you can take a new picture with the camera of your device or choose an existing picture from your recent photos or camera roll. Also, if you want to edit a picture of any celebrity in the New Profile Pic app, there’s an option to select a photo of a celebrity by searching for their name.
Step 3: Use an Artistic Style
New Profile Pic provides you an option to choose from four art styles after selecting or taking your photo. The first style offers you to explore three more aesthetics that transform your photo into a highly realistic painted portrait. While under the second style, you have got a few options that are usually applied to your selfies and support images with multiple people.
Tap on all styles in a row to initiate the processing, allowing you to easily switch between them once they are finished. Note that the “Photo Lab” option directs you to another app from the same developer.
Step 4: Save and Share
After completing photo editing, you can save and share by simply tapping the green save and share button at the bottom of the screen. You have an option to simply save it locally on your device or share it on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, or other installed apps on your device.
What’s wrong with the newprofilepic.com?
In May 2022, a British tabloid published an alarming article in “The Daily Mail” with the headline, “Is Russia after YOUR data?” In this article, internet users were warned to not download the online trending app i.e., New Profile Pic that hoovers up your information.
In the article, a security expert expresses concerns over this app, stating that it could potentially capture the face of users in high resolution. The expert further questioned the significance of the amount of data being requested by the app, especially when it is not widely known or recognized.
How is it related to Russia?
When the New Profile Pic app started gaining popularity, users began to investigate the history of the company and found out that it was registered in Moscow first. The popular and well-liked apps “ToonMe- cartoons from photos” and “Photo Lab Picture Editor and Art,” which have millions of reviews with an overwhelming response of five-star ratings, are also developed by these companies.
Just mentioning Russia’s capital raises red flags for some potential app users due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the country’s status as a hub for hacking operations. Despite having a Russian office, the company is not based in Moscow.
The Daily Mail had reported that the New Profile Pic App was developed by a company located near the Moscow River, which is about three miles from Red Square. This insinuated a possible connection between the app and the Kremlin. However, when Linerock was asked about this claim, their spokesperson clarified that the Daily Mail was referring to the address of lawyers who had registered the company in Moscow and not the actual location of the company itself.
But Linerock, the company behind the New Profile Pic App, has provided a more extensive response to the rumors in a blog post on their website pho. to. The company clarified that they use Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure servers, both located in the United States and that no user data or images are sent to Moscow.
Is the newprofilepicture.com after YOUR data?
People are often surprised to know how much their personal information is accessible through mobile apps. When the news regarding the scam of the New Profile Pic app got circulated, many individuals posted screenshots of the app’s privacy policy.
A few people posted a screenshot of the app’s permission request and asked people to not download the New Profile Pic app as it steals all your data and sends it to Moscow.
But according to many well-known apps, the permissions requested in NewProfilePic.com are not unusual. After comparing the contents of the privacy policy to that of other popular apps like TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram, we figured out that asking users for “having full network access” and permission to “receive data from the internet” is nothing strange. When a person is downloading an app, they should be aware that they are giving access to the app. However, New Profile Pic app’s requested permissions are typical.
Is the newprofilepicture.com trying to steal your money?
Once another popular rumor on social media came out in which users claimed that the money from their bank account was stolen shortly after downloading the New Profile Pic app.
According to a representative for the app, the screenshots of stolen charges may be authentic, but they did not originate from the New Profile Pic App. As of now, the app is completely free and doesn’t include any in-app purchases or ask for any payment details from its users.
Is the newprofilepicture.com a scam?
In conclusion, it is false to say that this app is exceptionally intrusive. Its app permission requests resemble those of other widely used apps. Additionally, there is no proof to back up the accusation that this app is stealing data for the Kremlin. A British Virgin Islands-based company used a group of foreign developers, some of whom reside in Russia, to create this software. Last but not least, there is no evidence to support the assertion that users of this application had money deducted from their bank accounts.
Although this application asks for access to specific data on your phone, these requests are common. On its website, you can learn more about the privacy policy.
The New Profile Pic App is not a new creation from an unknown company. The developer has previously released popular apps such as ToonMe and PhotoLab, which have a combined total of over 150 million downloads on Google Play. There have been no reports of either app being involved in fraudulent activities or compromising user data. A spokesperson for the New Profile Pic App has assured that the app doesn’t store any personal data and is safe to use. However, cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg advises caution when downloading apps from foreign countries.
The Final Thought
Although we have come across many photo editing apps, the New Profile Pic app got the limelight due to various reasons. Aside from its exceptional editing features, the main reason was the rumor of this app being connected to Russia or the Kremlin based on the screenshots shared on social media platforms.
Another rumor regarding this app was about data collection. Experts warned the users that the New Profile Pic app collects large amounts of personal information and shares it with Moscow. But these rumors were denied on 12 May 2022, when permission requests for this app were declared as usual as other popular apps such as Instagram and TikTok.
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