White House app auto-downloads to government phones, can't be uninstalled

mmmlinux•about 3 hours ago

People are only now concerned because they see the control that was always there, Now being exerted over their government work issued phones.

SpicyLemonZest•38 minutes ago

People are concerned because they know that Donald Trump is an aspiring dictator. He doesn't want to install this app because he thinks it will serve some useful purpose, he wants to install it because he thinks the country and everyone in it is his property.

If he's allowed to get away with this, at some point before he's overthrown, he's going to force you, personally, to install this app. When you object that this is crazy, his remaining true believers will make up some nonsense reason why we shouldn't be worried.

aand16•12 minutes ago

It's a work phone, I don't see the issue.

orsorna•about 2 hours ago

Feds use profile management? Is that news?

The weirdness of the WH app is notable enough but standard organization practices aren't.

malcolmgreaves•about 2 hours ago

It’s a purely political app, not an official US government.

So yes, it’s weird and illegal for the republicans to force all government employees to have a propaganda app on their work phones.

CM30•about 1 hour ago

This just feels like the weirdest part to me:

> A button within the app allows users to “text President Trump,” which autofills a text bubble reading “Greatest President Ever.”

It feels like something you might see from the government in a banana republic/authoritarian dictatorship.

netsharc•3 minutes ago

Reminds me of the story of a parliament full of apparatchiks clapping their dictator, with no one daring to stop, because it would mean a lack of loyalty, for which they'd be dragged out and shot...

Rygian•about 3 hours ago

"Google app auto-downloads to Google phones, can't be uninstalled" has been the norm since day 1 and before.

What is newsworthy here? The fact that yet one more third-party (the White House) does it too?

meristohm•4 minutes ago

Long-time de-Googled Pixel user here: while it's not for most of the people I know, for whom the barrier to install LineageOS / GrapheneOS / etc on their Android pocket computer is as yet too high, advertisement-company Google's nonsense can be uninstalled. It helps that I use my less-smart phone much less than back when these things were a novelty. Nice to be able to call and text, snap photos, take notes, visit some websites with JavaScript turned off, set alarms, and learn stuff with Anki, all with one high-tech slab that fits in my pocket. I also appreciate F-Droid and the contributions of so many people making useful software. Still, I'd trade computers and all the pollution from the underlying infrastructure for lower population density and the ability to regularly eat fish from local waterways without getting poisoned.

knollimar•about 2 hours ago

4th amendment probably

ck2•about 1 hour ago

any android now can get pseudo-root via Shizuku

and I am betting Shizuku can disable that

however I am sure that will trigger firing so probably not worth it

1000 days, hang in there, this is nothing, imagine what's going down winter holidays 2028

fsflover•about 2 hours ago

Android devices have started installing hidden app that scans your images (mastodon.sdf.org)

rose-knuckle17•about 2 hours ago

another data heist brewing.

The usual long period between elections and inauguration is going to create a massive window for data exfiltration and the only people empowered to police it and any evidence that it occurrred are the people most likely to be stealing the data.

White House app auto-downloads to government phones, can't be uninstalled

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