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FaceApp Removes ‘Ethnicity Filters’ After User Backlash

By Ryan Ho Kilpatrick
August 10, 2017, 2:12 AM ET
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Cropped shot of a man using a smartphonehttp://195.154.178.81/DATA/i_collage/pi/shoots/805355.jpgPeopleImages/Getty Images

Popular photo-filter application FaceApp has removed a set of “ethnicity filters” after users widely condemned them as racist.

The divisive feature allowed users to alter their selfies by adding “Black,” “Asian,” “Indian” and “Caucasian” filters that altered their appearance, according to CNN Money.

Users were quick to call out the application, which shot to fame earlier this year by allowing users to create images of themselves that altered their age or gender using artificial intelligence.

Following a storm of criticism on social media, FaceApp CEO Yaroslav Goncharov issued a statement Wednesday promising that “the new controversial filters will be removed in the next few hours.”

For more on apps, watch Fortune’s video:

The app, which hit its popularity peak in April according to analytics platform App Annie, earlier came under fire for lightening users’ skin tones to make them appear more attractive in its “hot” filter.


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