The White House Is Reportedly Forcing Its Official App Onto All Government Employee Phones

The Trump administration is planning to automatically install its White House app on the work phones of government employees, according to a report. government executive. The report detailed that at least one agency will begin installing the official White House app on government devices as soon as next week, but the scope extends to “all government-equipped mobile phones in the executive branch,” according to internal emails. government executive.

The Trump administration released the White House app two months ago, promising to offer “unfiltered, real-time updates straight from the source.” When visiting the app, users will find handpicked news articles and statistics as well as press releases and official media. The app also gives you the option to “text President Trump,” which ultimately leads to signing up for a marketing blast. It’s unclear whether the app will provide more capabilities to federal employees government executive It has been told that the app being installed on government working phones will be exactly the same app to which the public has access. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wells told the outlet that “Government tools typically include pre-installed apps that provide value to the day-to-day work of government employees.”

However, according to some cybersecurity experts, the White House app may instead pose a privacy risk. Following the app’s release in March, early reports found that the app used location tracking and raised concerns about how it might share personal data with third-party sources. Now that the app is found on the phones of government employees, it could introduce even more security vulnerabilities.