Chinese Investigators use FaceApp styled Tech to reunite a biological family after 18 yrs

Beijing: Here’s story of a 21-year-old Chinese man who has been reunited with his biological family after almost two decades when police decided to use FaceApp-styled technology to predict his present appearance.

As per reports, the man, identified as Yu Weifeng, was allegedly kidnapped 18 years ago in 2001 from a construction site where his biological father used to work as a foreman.

Later, Yu Weifeng’s kidnapping case was initially closed down after a few years. Interestingly, Shenzhen’s Futian District investigators again reopened the case, claimed a media report.

Interestingly, the investigators had reportedly used AI-based software, much like the recently trending FaceApp, to predict what the missing boy might look like at present before searching their huge database to locate him. They were able to single out Weifeng, who is currently studying in provincial capital Guangzhou, after sorting through almost 100 candidates.

Speaking to the media, investigation officer, Zheng Zhenhai said, “When we found him, he refused to believe that he was a kidnapped child, but DNA confirmed that he was a match with his biological parents.”

On the other hand, the biological father of Weifeng informed that presently he stays with his adoptive parents and use their family name Li. “We’re very grateful to his foster parents for raising him for 18 years. From now on, his foster father will become like a brother to me; my son will have two dads,” said Weifeng’s biological father before the media.

All About FaceApp!

It may also be mentioned that the FaceApp is a mobile application for iOS and Android developed by Russian company Wireless Lab which uses artificial intelligence to generate highly realistic transformations of faces in photographs. The app can transform a face to make it smile, look younger, look older, or change gender. The app's privacy policy attracted criticism in 2019.

FaceApp was launched on iOS in January 2017 and on Android in February 2017. There are multiple options to manipulate the photo uploaded such as editor options of adding an impression, make-up, smiles, hair colors, hairstyles, glasses, age or beards. Filters, lens blur and backgrounds along with overlays, tattoos, and vignettes are also a part of the app.

The gender change transformations of FaceApp have attracted particular interest from the LGBT and transgender communities, due to their ability to realistically simulate the appearance of a person as the opposite gender.

Also Read: Growing old with FaceApp is fun but accepting its terms blindly may be risky for one