White House app triggers alarm bells as experts fear it's spying on Americans

Digital privacy researchers were reportedly concerned over the White House's news app — not just its "rose-tinted view of the president" — but what it can actually do

Some experts have questioned whether the app, which was apparently downloaded about 700,000 times in the first week alone, could serve as a surveillance tool to keep an eye on the American public, The Washington Post reported. It shares updates from President Donald Trump's social media feeds and has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tip line to encourage users to report "suspected criminal activity" directly from the app.

There were also questions about what the administration hoped to accomplish with the app.

"Experts said it is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to develop a state media apparatus as an alternative to what it calls the 'fake news' mainstream media — reassuring his backers that all is well even amid one of the most turbulent moments of his presidency," according to The Post.

"The app has also raised some alarms from digital privacy researchers who delved into its software and reported that they had found mechanisms by which it could log users’ location," The Post reported. "They also said they found evidence of integrations with third-party tools from providers that included Huawei — a Chinese smartphone maker that [is] under sanctions by the U.S. government. Some widely circulated social media posts warned people not to install it."

A White House official has denied that the app will collect any user locations and also claimed it has no Huawei software integrations.