Meitu is the cute new beauty app with some intense data collection

Style

Jan 20, 2017

Meitu has blown up on social media over the past few days thanks to it's adorable filter that essentially makes everyone look like a flawless, baby-faced character from Harajuku.

The app has been big in China for a number of years, but the gimmick has just caught on in the wider world.

The beauty app allows its users to smooth and whiten skin, sort out spots, slim down the face and create anime-sized eyes.

Here's Donald Trump in the Meitu app HAPPY NIGHTMARES! pic.twitter.com/eSTyrAgMXt

— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) January 18, 2017

However, some people have become alarmed at the amount of data permissions that you have to enable in order to use the app.

The app can access your calendar, internet browser history, take photos and videos, location, read phone call status and caller identity, read, modify and delete the contents of your photo USB storage, control phone vibration and prevent the phone from sleeping.

Let me get this straight…
All of you just installed a photo app from China that requires these permissions? Let me know how it works out. pic.twitter.com/wGDUYbRdSA

— Greg Linares (@Laughing_Mantis) January 19, 2017

It’s normal for apps to need to access different elements of data and enable functions on a phone so they can run properly.

However, "they are collecting some very odd data that shouldn’t be looked at necessarily for the application functioning, ” Greg Linares, a security researcher at threat management firm Vectra Networks told Wired.