Pre-reading questions:
- Do you use SNS? Why or why not?
- What smartphone apps do you usually use?
Vocabulary:
- policy /POL-uh-see/
- generate /JEN-uh-reyt/
- prohibit /proh-HIB-it/
- leading /LEE-ding/
- statement /STEYT-muhnt/
[noun] a set of ideas or a plan of what to do in particular situations that has been agreed to officially by a group of people, a business organization, etc.
Everyone must follow the immigration policy.
[verb] to cause something to exist
The windmills generate electricity for the whole community.
[verb] to officially refuse to allow something
My supervisor prohibits us from using our phones during office hours.
[adjective] best, most important, or most successful
She became the leading candidate for this term’s election.
[noun] something that someone says or writes officially
His statement includes his resignation from the position.
WeChat prevents its users from accessing a popular face-swapping app named Zao after its privacy policy issue surfaced. Zao’s privacy regulations state that it will gain possession of any content generated from the app. WeChat users can still upload and send videos created from Zao. However, they will see an error message that prohibits them from accessing Zao if they try to download the app.
Zao became the leading iOS app in China after its release on August 30. It allows the users to replace celebrities’ faces with their own selfies as if they are the ones in the famous shows or movie scenes. Zao’s developers released a statement on September 1 to acknowledge the privacy issue concerning the app. The terms and conditions are now changed, stating that Zao’s servers will remove all deleted content from the app.
Zao became the leading iOS app in China after its release on August 30. It allows the users to replace celebrities’ faces with their own selfies as if they are the ones in the famous shows or movie scenes. Zao’s developers released a statement on September 1 to acknowledge the privacy issue concerning the app. The terms and conditions are now changed, stating that Zao’s servers will remove all deleted content from the app.
Comprehension Questions:
- When was Zao released in China?
- What are the app’s new terms and conditions?
- What will WeChat users see if they try to download Zao based on the article?
- What does Zao allow its users to do?
- According to the article, what do Zao’s privacy regulations state?
Discussion Questions:
- What is your opinion about WeChat’s restriction on Zao? Please explain your answer.
- Do you think all social networking sites should ban users from accessing Zao? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, why do you think face-swapping apps become popular quickly?
- Do you read the privacy policy of apps before downloading them? Why or why not?
- How do you make sure that the apps you are using are secured?