A report from VICE says that the US military is utilizing the app Muslim Pro in order to collect location data on its Muslim users. The app has over 100 million users. Reports suggest the data is collected by a third party called X-Mode which turns around and sells it to contractors.
This is direct targeting on a certain demographic by the government and feels like it should be a bigger story than it currently is. Sadly, the government stalking us through our phones is hardly breaking news but this feels worse than the usual case, the fact the US military is seeking out this data is what really gives me pause. I think it is very likely the government is collecting this data and using it to heavily monitor certain areas and to plan military action.
The tough part is while this is clearly morally wrong, it is far from illegal. Users willingly agree to give away their data and if you decline you can’t use the main features of the app. The way companies design these apps it has become almost second nature to just agree to sell off your data knowing you won’t ever see a penny back for it. The government gets to make money and stalk us off of our data and we can’t do anything about it.
Eventually, we need to stand up against this, we need to take a stand and say if you want our data we demand compensation in return. This is an idea Andrew Yang brought up a lot throughout his campaign and something that needs to be thrust into the mainstream conversation.
To all my Muslim brothers and sisters out there, stay safe out there and I hope you figure out ways to carry out your practices without the need for this app, although every other app on your phone is harvesting your data so it might just be a lost cause
Green Buddhist 