Fedware: Government apps that spy harder than the apps they ban
5 hours ago
- #privacy violations
- #data tracking
- #government surveillance
- The White House app requests excessive permissions like GPS, biometric data, and includes a sanctioned Chinese tracking SDK, along with an ICE tip line button.
- The FBI's app has ad-serving trackers and requests permissions to read phone state and accounts, exceeding typical tracker counts found in weather apps.
- FEMA's app demands 28 permissions for basic weather alerts, down from 4 trackers to 1, yet remains overly intrusive compared to similar news apps.
- IRS2Go shares device data without proper privacy assessments, violating policies and lacking encryption for sensitive information like refund amounts.
- CBP Mobile Passport Control uses dangerous permissions for background location and biometrics, feeding into a system retaining faceprints for up to 75 years across agencies.
- Mobile Fortify, a facial recognition app used by ICE, accesses billions of images and retains photos of U.S. citizens for 15 years, with no opt-out option for scans.
- SmartLINK, ICE's monitoring app, collects extensive personal data including location and medical info, used in large-scale raids and sharing data without limits.
- Government agencies purchase location data from brokers like Venntel without warrants, bypassing Supreme Court rulings and targeting specific communities.
- IRS-ICE data sharing erroneously exposed thousands of individuals' tax data, leading to resignations and court blocks, but automated systems for bulk access are still being developed.
- Persistent lack of privacy law implementation and congressional inaction enable surveillance, with oversight described as theatrical while data flow continues unabated.
- Apps are unnecessary for accessing public information, as web pages or RSS feeds suffice, but apps persist to enable data collection that feeds into broader surveillance networks.