In May, the White House announced that its new app would be automatically downloaded onto the work phones of millions of government employees. The problem: Federal workers hate it and can’t get rid of it.
Employees of the US 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 that they were disturbed when the app appeared on their phones. Some attempted to delete it, but to no avail.
“I deleted it as a test and it came immediately back,” says an employee from the USDA.
The app, which debuted in March, promises a mixture of “real-time updates, live events, and direct access to the Presidency,” according to the White House website. It is, apparently, the same version that is available to the public on the Apple and Google app stores. A button within the app allows users to “text President Trump,” which autofills a text bubble reading “Greatest President Ever.”
Under the “Social” section of the app, users can see posts from the White House X account, Trump’s own Truth Social posts, and videos shared on official TikTok and Instagram accounts, among other platforms. The “News” section of the app includes White House press releases, briefings, and fact sheets, as well as selected articles from Fox, Breitbart, Reuters, The New York Post, and other outlets, all of which paint a positive picture of the administration’s policies or attack Democrats.
“It’s shooting pure unadulterated propaganda into our veins,” says another government employee. “Maybe Fox’s editorial standards are too high.”
In Apple’s App Store, the app’s privacy policy links out to the official page describing the privacy policy for WhiteHouse.gov. At the bottom of the page, there is a section for the policies for the White House Mobile App that includes only an email address, and no details on the privacy or data policies for 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,” says White House spokesperson Olivia Wales when asked about whether there were concerns about the app being downloaded onto government workers’ phones. “Government devices typically include pre-installed apps that provide value to government employees’ day-to-day work.”
In April, shortly after the app launched, cybersecurity experts flagged several concerns, 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 its X account, specializes in “expert WordPress development, design, hosting, ecommerce, and so much more.” According to the System for Award Management, which is used to track government contracts, 45Press received $1.5 million, and was eligible to receive more than $8 million, in government contracts. The company’s founder also runs an X account described as “a website directory of historical and paranormal locations.” 45Press did not respond to a request for comment.
An investigation by NOTUS found that the app incorporated widgets created by a Russia-based company called Elfsight, which exposed the personal information of White House officials. Elfsight did not respond to a request for comment. At the time of this reporting, the White House said Elfsight had been made aware of this vulnerability.
This is particularly concerning as the app has appeared on the phones of State Department employees, one of whom tells WIRED that they, too, had attempted to delete the app, only to have it reappear.