Federal employees cannot remove the White House app from their phones

in may, The White House announced Its new app will be automatically downloaded onto the work phones of millions of people Government employees. Problem: Federal workers I hate him and I can’t get rid of him.

Employees of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the State Department, and the Department of Labor (DOL), who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, say they were alarmed when the app appeared on their phones. Some tried to delete it, but to no avail.

“I deleted it as a test, and it came back right away,” says one USDA employee.

The app, which debuted in March, promises a mix of “real-time updates, live events, and direct access to the presidency,” according to the site. White House website. This appears to be the same version available to the public on the Apple and Google App stores. A button within the app allows users to do this “Text President Trump” Which automatically fills a text bubble reading “The greatest president ever.”

Under the “Social” section of the app, users can see posts from the White House X account, Trump’s Truth Social posts, and videos shared on his official TikTok and Instagram accounts, among other platforms. The app’s “News” section includes White House press releases, briefings and fact sheets, as well as selected articles from Fox, Breitbart, Reuters, the New York Post and other media outlets, all of which paint a positive picture of the administration’s policies or attack Democrats.

“It pumps pure, unadulterated propaganda into our veins,” says another government employee. “Fox’s editorial standards may be too high.”

In the Apple App Store, the App Privacy Policy is linked to Official page Description of the WhiteHouse.gov Privacy Policy. At the bottom of the page there is a White House Mobile App Policies section that includes only an email address, and no details about the privacy or data policies of the app itself.

“The White House app does not require anyone to create an account or enter any data into the app, and any information on the app is safe and secure,” White House press secretary Olivia Wells said when asked if there were concerns about downloading the app on government employees’ phones. “Government devices typically include pre-installed applications that provide value to the daily work of government employees.”

In April, shortly after the app was launched, Cyber ​​security experts Several concerns have been reported, including the fact that the app initially shared users’ locations and IP addresses with third parties. It was developed by an Ohio-based company called 45Press, which, according to… X accountspecializing in “professional WordPress development, design, hosting, e-commerce, and more.” According to the awards management system, which is used to track government contracts, 45Press received $1.5 millionHe was eligible for more than $8 million in government contracts. the Company founder He also runs an X account described as a “website directory of historical and paranormal sites.” 45 Press did not respond to a request for comment.

Investigation by known It found that the app included tools created by a Russia-based company called Elfsight, which exposed personal information to White House officials. Elfsight did not respond to a request for comment. At the time of preparing this report, it was The White House said Elfsight has been notified of this vulnerability.

This is especially troubling because the app appeared on the phones of State Department employees, one of whom told WIRED that they, too, tried to delete the app, but it reappeared.