91ÊÓƵ

The popularity of the face-aging app, FaceApp, has again drawn attention to the issue of how easy it is for people to unknowingly share their personal data, including their profile photographs – with unforeseen consequences.

Cybersecurity expert Sid Stamm, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, offers the following advice to web users:

• It is important to stop and think about which apps are installed and what data is provided to them.
• Always consider the effects of sharing any information online. 
• You cannot "un-upload" or "un-share" pictures, videos and words.

Also, Stamm cautions that just because it has been revealed that FaceApp originated in Russia doesn’t mean that the application is necessarily bad.  For example, Russian-made Kaspersky Antivirus is a top-rated antivirus software that’s widely used in the computer industry.

Stamm says: “People got excited because a Russian firm is collecting your data; don't forget about other apps that collect much more, like Facebook.”

A former lead architect and engineer on security and privacy with Mozilla, Stamm is an expert in computer security, data privacy and web standards. He helps 91ÊÓƵ students hone their cybersecurity skills through classes and extracurricular activities, like the Computer Security Club, which has successfully competed in various cyber defense competitions. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from 91ÊÓƵ and followed with master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science from Indiana University.