Russian apps could be ‘counterintelligence threat', FBI says

In July, Schumer had asked the FBI and Federal Trade Commission to look into the national security and privacy implications of 'FaceApp'. — AFP

The FBI is treating any mobile app that comes out of Russia as a "potential counterintelligence threat, ” the US’s top law enforcement agency said in a letter to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s concern arises in part from "the legal mechanisms available to the Government of Russia that permit access to data” in the country, according to the letter, which Schumer’s office released Monday.