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The Trump administration's newly launched White House App is under scrutiny after a software developer claimed to have found embedded code that tracks users' precise GPS coordinates every 4.5 minutes and automatically syncs them to a third-party server. The claim, posted on 28 March 2026 by the X account @Thereallo1026, has drawn nearly 260,000 views and prompted questions about data collection practices in government-operated applications.

The post included what appeared to be decompiled source code from the app, revealing what the user described as OneSignal's 'full GPS pipeline compiled in.' According to the post, the code showed the app 'polling your location every 4.5 minutes, syncing your exact coordinates to a third-party server.' The White House has not publicly responded to the specific technical claims.

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[-] Jerry@feddit.online 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

According to the Google Play Store, there are 467 reviews (4.8 stars) but "0+" downloads. Like everything else about the White House, it doesn't add up.

And maybe most people know to keep it off their phones.

image

[-] Casterial@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Why would anyone install government shit on their phone

[-] porcoesphino@mander.xyz 7 points 1 week ago

From the US government, I completely agree. But a functional government helps and supports its citizens and there are plenty of ways an app on your phone can help. Admittedly that's pretty ideological, but at the very least I'd argue there is a spectrum

[-] Nindelofocho@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

It should just be a website and not something that needs to live on my phone 24/7

[-] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

Don't you follow and obey Orange Jesus?

[-] Pappabosley@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Quite a few governments make it mandatory, either as an only way to complete a required process, or (like my govt) make any alternate options, like phone or Web, an absolute nightmare

[-] Stache_@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It’s because there were SO many downloads, more than two BILLION I’m told, by some really fantastic people who made the app, this wonderful app, that we hit something called an INTEGER LIMIT. Can you believe that? We had so many of you GREAT Americans sign up, that it just completely broke the App Store. It’s just incredible.

/s

[-] Haquer@lemmy.today 3 points 1 week ago

More like

We hit something called pulls up paper

int... inta... intajur? limit. what a word

[-] ptz@dubvee.org 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

509 reviews as I write this and still 0 downloads and zero of those 509 reviews have any text; they just have ratings.

[-] fonix232@fedia.io 5 points 1 week ago

The Play Store has recently (I think about 3 years ago?) introduced delayed updates for things like download counts because they were battling faked statistics (e.g. the download counter could be manipulated by bot farms), so now downloads are accumulated and checked against users actually using the app and having it on their devices - which takes time to update so IIRC they now only update that counter every month. Hence the 0+ downloads.

[-] Pappabosley@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

So they're verifying downloads, but not reviews?

[-] fonix232@fedia.io 1 points 1 week ago

Both are verified by an automated system.

which is why fake reviews slip through but fake downloads don't really (download count is easy to verify with device feedback, fake reviews require a proper system...)

this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
229 points (99.6% liked)

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