Lawyers urge users to protect their privacy using Barbie app

As the movie Barbie goes viral, lawyers warn of privacy risks when some people use a mini program to generate their Barbie portraits.

Recently, a mini program using AI technology was launched online. Users will get a personalized Barbie album after uploading their photos and paying 9.9 yuan ($1.3), Hubei Daily reported.

"I found this mini program online after watching the movie. So I tried and it satisfied my dream to be a Barbie. For me, Barbie is not only a toy, but also a partner that I grew up with," said Zhou Yi, a Barbie fan.

However, lawyers are concerned about risks of personal privacy leakage and misuse. Weng Guanxing, a lawyer in Shanghai, said that China's laws and judicial interpretations prohibit personal information disclosure and infringement.

"Creators and publishers of the mini program should fully remind users that their photos may be leaked due to network attacks, computer viruses and Trojan horse programs. If users upload their own photos, it is considered that they agree to the mini program using their personal photos. But the mini program should promptly delete uploaded photos after generating Barbie portraits. If they need to store and collect photos, they need additional consent from the user," said Weng.

On Monday, the mini program began to allow users to delete their photos. Since then, no personal information is stored in the platform and it will not be used for other purposes without users' authorization.