Revealing about the person behind FaceApp application: Technology millionaire used to work for Microsoft

FaceApp, the face change application from old to young, is one of the hottest and most controversial free apps in the world recently. FaceApp is produced by a Russian-based company but the information about the company and its leaders is very limited.

According to the terms of application, FaceApp is running Wireless Lab and is the 'offspring' of Yaroslav Goncharov.

Yaroslav Goncharov is a programmer and software developer on Windows Mobile long before iPhone and Android phones became popular. Goncharov used to work at Microsoft. Goncharov is also a co-founder and technical director of SPB Software - a company specializing in manufacturing applications and games for mobile devices.

In 2011, his company SPB Software was acquired by Yandex for $ 30 million. After the deal, Goncharov has enough money to set up his own Wireless Lab company without having to worry about calling for investment. One of Goncharov's innovative products is that the hotel Wi-Fi testing tool has achieved some success.

While working at Microsoft and Yandex, Goncharov is attracted by the kind of hardware and software that can learn and process information like human brains, especially algorithms that can create a face based on attributes. Certain given properties like gender or hair color.

So, from 2016 Goncharov started creating products using AI images and in 2017, he launched the FaceApp application. Immediately, the application uses artificial intelligence (AI) to turn users' faces into old, younger or transgender people that have made millions of users around the world fall in love.

Therefore, Goncharov has quickly made a new business plan, to have an automatic photo editor with some advanced features, no FaceApp watermark and no annoying ads, users will have to spend a certain amount of money.

Goncharov's plan was successful, FaceApp was profitable from the first launch. According to some sources, Wireless Lab is earning at least $ 4 million per year, a small number for a company with only 12 employees.

FaceApp has brought the greatest success to the present moment for Goncharov. However, this application also caused many concerns about user data security. Under the terms, FaceApp has almost complete ownership of user face images when using the application. With that right, Wireless Lab can use, change and sell these images at will without user approval.

With concerns about user data security, Goncharov emphasized that images of users on FaceApp are not used for any commercial purpose and most of them will be deleted from the server within 48 hours. from upload date. Regarding the storage of images for 48 hours, Goncharov said, many users do not want to re-upload photos every time a new filter is applied so their photos will be saved on a temporary server.

Goncharov also shared more, Wireless Lab is planning to change terms and policies to use FaceApp next month.

1. This is how to ask FaceApp, the application to change faces from old children, to delete your data from their servers