BENGALURU: The recent surge in popularity of Ghibli-style photo trends, focusing on Japanese-style animated portraits, has caught the attention of cybercrime police officials who are now warning the public about the potential risks associated with these platforms. These officials have expressed concern that these AI-based platforms have the ability to collect and steal personal data, sending it to unknown third-party servers without the user’s consent.
According to the police, these platforms often request access to more than just the camera, with some also requiring permission to access the microphone, contact list, photo gallery, and even running in the background. In more concerning cases, some platforms may even have embedded code that tracks the user’s typing behavior. This combination of personal data inputs and wide-ranging permissions, especially on apps hosted outside India with unknown privacy terms, leaves users vulnerable to profiling, targeted scams, and potential long-term misuse of their data.
Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President of CyberPeace, highlighted that the rising trend of AI-generated art is not just about the technology taking over artists, but also about the potential misuse of the technology. He pointed out that unauthorized content creation, deepfakes, and copyright violations are all real risks associated with these platforms. There is also the concern of AI misinterpreting user prompts, leading to the creation of inappropriate images.
A senior police official further explained that once a user grants access and uploads a photo to these platforms, the app starts pulling data linked to the user’s device. This uploaded image can be stored indefinitely and potentially used to train other AI models without the user’s knowledge or consent. The official raised concerns about how facial features extracted from these images can be used to create digital identities and deepfakes, posing a significant threat to user privacy and security.
Furthermore, the official highlighted that apps requesting access to contacts or microphone can engage in silent background activity without the user’s awareness. These apps may not always deliver on the functions they promise and could be used as a facade to collect personal information for malicious purposes. These platforms often use deceptive code and permissions to bypass phone security, allowing attackers to build detailed user profiles for fraudulent activities or surveillance.
As the popularity of these AI-based platforms continues to grow, the number of AI apps and websites in circulation is also on the rise. Some of these platforms have even been found to include keyboard fingerprinting, a technology that tracks a user’s typing behavior, which can be exploited to crack passwords or mimic login behavior. Additionally, the practice of cross-referencing uploaded photos with publicly available databases poses a serious risk of linking a user’s image to their social media or digital footprint, potentially leading to the sale of personal data to data brokers or targeted fraud schemes.
In conclusion, as the use of AI-based platforms for creating art and entertainment grows, it is crucial for users to be cautious about the permissions they grant and the data they share. Awareness about the potential risks associated with these platforms is essential to protect personal privacy and data security in an increasingly digitized world.