On 05/12/2022 Williams filed a Personal Injury - Other Personal Injury lawsuit against Linerock Investments, LTD. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. An Instagram post dated Feb. 20 from NewProfilePic founder Victor Sazhin said he was born in Russia. The company behind the App is called Linerock Investments Ltd, who according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, is registered in Moscow. "Although most people will not question the possibilities of anything untoward occurring from simply uploading a photo, the amount of data taken under the radar can often be far more than the user intended on sharing which can cause security and privacy problems. Gold and Blue Nation Biggest Fan Contest. Youve seen the new Facebook craze on your timeline, where people are swapping their profile picture with a new cartoon-like avatar? The app can However, some experts believe that the service, which utilizes facial-recognition technology, is sending users' photographs and data to the Kremlin, per the Daily Mail. And the Russian address in domain details was his former Russian address where he hasn't The company currently specializes in the Entertainment area. Read more, The Offshore Leaks data is current through 2010, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Andersen Business Services, Inc. Frunzenskaya Nab., 40 Moscow, 119270 Russia. 2. Linerock Investments, LTD is a private company. Moreover, the claims of the apps Russian connection go down to one reason. That said, New Profile Pic's permissions aren't abnormal. Joan Rivers was killed for revealing that Barack Obama is gay and Michelle Obama is transgender. The Dailymail interviewed a Global Cybersecurity "GUYS! But according to a rising number of claims, the NewProfilePic app is bad news. To connect with Linerock Investments, LTD employee register on SignalHire. The app, NewProfilePic is run by the company, Linerock Investments Ltd which is registered in Moscow, Russia. "The address on Moscow River is the address of lawyers who registered the company. Some information may have changed over time. Called NewProfilePic (also NewProfilePic Picture Editor), the app has taken the internet by storm and already boasts tens of thousands of users. It adds: "We collect your name, email address, user name, social network information and other information you provide when you register.". However, a check of Sunbiz found no company named Linerock Investments Ltd operating or doing business in Florida. ? Sign up for exclusive newsletters, comment on stories, enter competitions and attend events. 'Although most people will not question the possibilities of anything untoward occurring from simply uploading a photo, the amount of data taken under the radar can often be far more than the user intended on sharing which can cause security and privacy problems. While there isn't anything unusual about this app, Joseph Steinberg, a cyber security expert, said that people still needed to be cautious about what apps they download to their phones, especially when those apps come from different countries. "If you have it on your phone, delete it, if you gave it full permissions change your passwords warn your bank, there has been a huge uptick of bank accounts being drained and people being shut out of their accounts," the user added. The app developers explain: "Whenever you choose an effect that involves face manipulations we use special face recognition technologies to detect a photo; find required facial key points, and apply the effect to your photo.". Our iOS team is mostly Russian. "He does not live in the Russian Federation now," she wrote in an email to PolitiFact. I think Facebook has a lot more info than TikTok does. Oscar Cainer reveals all. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. The timestamp when VERIFY archived the page was 20:37:52. The ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database is licensed under the Open Database License and contents under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. VERIFY reached out to the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission but did not hear back at the time of publication. Contrary to the claim, it doesnt include banking information or contacts. As people posted photos from this new app, a piece of mobile software that uses artificial intelligence to create profile pics that look as if they had been painted, messages started circulating on social media claiming that this app was some sort of Russian malware scam. The real problem is they're not asking about the other 30 apps on their phone that are doing the same thing [] The reality is, if you look at the fine print of this app, it's collecting less data than many other apps. ', The company behind the app is Linerock Investments Limited, Users have praised its ease of use and quality of the avatars, Some have decided against uploading their own photographs and instead used an image of Roger Moore playing secret agent Simon Templar, On Apple's App Store, the App is number one in the photo and video chart, while more than 25,000 have rated it on the Google Play Store, This user claims 'he should've never have been given access to this app', The app can transform an ordinary photograph into a digital avatar in a matter of seconds, This user praised the rejuvenating quality of the app which was able to remove some wrinkles, One security expert warned: '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'. According to a spokesperson for the app, its safe for people to use, they told Snopes. We tested and explored NewProfilePic for ourselves. WebLinerock Investments, LTD | 91 followers on LinkedIn. The top management of the company and the managers of the majority of the projects, including myself, are based out of these countries, Polezhaeva said. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. The spokesperson said: The address on Moscow River is the address of lawyers who registered the company. That post, along with others, quickly spread on social media, and the Daily Mail also reported on the claim. The app's promotional material states: "The world around us is fast-paced and always evolving. Mr Moore warned: 'Before people upload photos or other personal data to a brand new website, they must carry out their own due diligence where possible. In each of these examples, including NewProfilePic, the privacy policies state information could be collected from other third-party, or outside and unaffiliated, applications and shared with those third-party applications. Meanwhile, the Cyber Helpline, which offers advice to online victims, gives the overall trust score for this app is just 14%. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. According to the app store pages for NewProfilePic, the address associated with the app is a business center located in Tortolas business district. In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. He said: 'This app is likely a way of capturing people's faces in high resolution and I would question any app wanting this amount of data, especially one which is largely unheard of.'. Last 60 Days. How did Russia lose HALF of its 45,000 elite paratroopers in just seven months? She said the firm was only in the Russian capital as that was the former home of the founder of the company, who has now moved. 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 Currently, the app is #1 on Apples app store. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Overall, we estimate that Linerock Investments LTDs apps have collected about 300 million installs, 6 million of them in the last 30 days. The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. We reached out to Linerock Investments for more information, and a spokesperson told us that, previously, the domain was indeed registered in Moscow because the company's founder had lived there. Something went wrong, please try again later. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. Apple will pay customers $700 for a slowed-down iPhone. Developers Origins. If youve downloaded the new app fad going around making your pictures into characters DELETE IT!" "In this ever changing world, why stick to one profile pic on your social media? Case Details Parties Documents Dockets. Inside the forest palace 'Putin shares with his gymnast lover and their secret children': Luxury estate Vanessa Bryant settles with LA County for $28,850,000 over misuse of photos from helicopter crash that What does the 1st March say for MY star sign? Linerock Investments LTD is an Android developer, who started in 2010, and thus is one of the Android pioneers. It said it was only registered in Moscow because that was the former home of the founder of the company, who has now moved. Example video title will go here for this video. Thank you for signing up for our newsletter! Despite the app's popularity, recent claims online question the app's data collection, privacy policies and ties to Russia following a story from the British tabloid Daily Mail with the headline: Russia after YOUR personal data? The app does not ask for that information. Hundreds of thousands of people have uploaded high-quality pictures of their faces to the New Profile Pic app in order to get a modified profile picture to use on social media. And it should be again. 'We understand that due to the current events in Ukraine, any connection to Russia could raise suspicions.'. However, a check of Sunbiz found no company named Linerock Investments Ltd operating or doing business in Florida. Lunina said the domain address in Moscowwas registered tothe former addressof Victor Sazhin, the founder of Linerock. WebLinerock Investments LTD [email protected] Website Palm Grove House, P.O. ToonMe and PhotoLab, two of the developer's other apps, have more than 150 million installs on Google Play. They simply remove the app afterwards (which does not stop the subscription) and get charged after the trial is over. 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.". The app uses facial recognition technology to find key points on an image of your face uploaded to the servers and then renders a new version. Is New Profile Pic App a Russian Malware Scam? It asks for access to the users camera, photos and media. The company's data policy states: "We collect certain personal information that you voluntarily provide to us. It's possible, the spokesperson suggested, that users may have accidentally used one of these look-a-like apps, and that that service might have charged them. The outlet reports that the company behind the app is called Linerock Investments Ltd, which according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Offshore Leaks database, is registered in Moscow. Polezhaeva told VERIFY Linerock Investment LTD was founded in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. But some folks like Laura Myer of Fort Myers were suspicious of the app and wanted to know who was behind the artwork. They also collect data on the user from other companies and combine it with their own dossier. This app was developed by a company in the British Virgin Islands that uses a team of international developers, some of whom live in Russia. Its flagship app, Photo Lab, has been downloaded over 200 million times to date, Linerocks headquarters are based in the British Virgin Islands, and they have development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. 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Both of those apps have been around for years, and we are unaware of any reports that they have been used to steal money from people's bank accounts, or to give users' data to the Kremlin. The archive had a timestamp of 08:07:36 that day. "It is true that the domain was registered to the Moscow address. When we clicked on the apps privacy policy for both Google and Apple, we were directed to Linerock Investments website. The BBC will suspend the 159-a-year licence fee for two days so people can watch EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Could Nicola Sturgeon return the Stone of Scone for King Charles's coronation as one of Just 11 MINUTES of brisk walking each day is enough to slash your chances of dying early, study reveals. "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. Our Android team - mostly Ukrainian, Sazhins post said. 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'. ;)'. He updated it yesterday after seeing its part in the Daily Mail post, she said in the email. According to Picsarts privacy policy, if the user grants permission, private information like their name, email address and demographic information can be shared. A blog post on Linerock's website pho.to detailed a longer response to the rumors. It is the former Moscow address of the founder of the company. The The 2021 infrastructure bill requires all new vehicles to have kill switches that will stop vehicle operation and alert law enforcement when drivers are impaired. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. They said: We are a BVI company with development offices in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. 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And back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and the! In Tortolas business district red linerock investments ltd russia not sell or share my personal information social media We were to... Photolab, two of the Daily Mail post, along with others, quickly on...