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Post: Google and Apple in trouble for offering Saudi app that allows men to track women
Google and Apple Criticized for Hosting Saudi App Enabling Male Guardianship Over Women
Google and Apple have faced intense criticism for hosting the Saudi government’s Absher app on their app stores. The app, which facilitates various e-government services, has drawn international condemnation for enabling Saudi men to track and control the movements of women under the country’s patriarchal guardianship system. Critics argue that by hosting the app, the tech giants are complicit in perpetuating human rights abuses against women in Saudi Arabia.
The Functionality and Controversy Surrounding Absher – Absher app controversy
Absher, developed by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, is promoted as a comprehensive e-government platform. Users can access services such as renewing passports, paying traffic fines, and managing civil status documentation. However, the app also supports the country’s guardianship system, under which women require the permission of a male guardian—often a father, husband, or brother—to travel, marry, or access certain healthcare services.
Through Absher, male guardians can grant or deny travel permissions, set specific travel dates and destinations, and receive notifications when women under their guardianship attempt to use their passports at borders or airports. Human rights groups assert that this feature entrenches systemic discrimination, severely restricting women’s autonomy.
Global Outrage and Human Rights Concerns
The app’s availability on Google Play and the Apple App Store has sparked global outrage. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the CEOs of Google and Apple to immediately remove the app, stating in a letter that it enables the “abhorrent surveillance and control of women.” Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch echoed these concerns, urging the companies to assess the app’s role in facilitating human rights abuses and to mitigate its harm.
Amnesty International released a statement emphasizing the app’s implications for women’s rights, saying, “The use of the Absher app to curtail the movement of women highlights the disturbing system of discrimination under the guardianship system. Genuine human rights reforms, not just social and economic changes, are urgently needed in Saudi Arabia.”
The Guardianship System and Its Impact on Women
Saudi Arabia’s guardianship system has long been criticized for treating women as legal minors. Women require male guardian approval for major life decisions, including:
- Travel: Permission is required for both domestic and international trips.
- Marriage: Women cannot marry without their guardian’s consent.
- Employment: Certain private-sector jobs require guardian approval.
- Healthcare: Access to specific medical procedures may depend on guardian consent.
- Legal Matters: Women often need a guardian’s approval to sign contracts or represent themselves in court.
Adam Coogle, a Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, emphasized that the Absher app digitizes and reinforces these restrictive practices, making it easier for guardians to impose travel restrictions.
Tech Giants Under Fire – Absher app controversy
Both Apple and Google have been criticized for allowing the app on their platforms, despite their professed commitments to user privacy and human rights. The companies have not disclosed the number of Absher downloads, but the Google Play Store indicates over one million installations. According to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Absher’s individual and business platforms serve more than 11 million users.
The app’s preview pages on both app stores emphasize security and privacy, stating, “Absher has been designed and developed with special consideration to security and privacy of user’s data and communication. So, you can safely browse your profile or your family members, or labors [sic] working for you, and perform a wide range of eServices online.” Critics argue that this description downplays the app’s role in enabling surveillance and control.
Broader Implications and Responses
The controversy has reignited debates about corporate responsibility and the ethical implications of hosting apps that facilitate human rights violations. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged tech companies to adopt stricter human rights due diligence processes when reviewing apps from countries with poor human rights records.
The Saudi government has defended Absher, asserting that it streamlines administrative processes for citizens. The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Conclusion – Absher app controversy
The ongoing availability of the Absher app on major app stores highlights a broader challenge for tech companies navigating the intersection of innovation, user convenience, and ethical responsibility. As global scrutiny intensifies, Apple and Google must address the growing calls to remove the app and reassess their role in enabling systemic discrimination.
Sources
- Amnesty International. (2019). Statement on the Absher app and women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
- Human Rights Watch. (2019). Critique of Saudi Arabia’s guardianship system.
- The Washington Post. (2019). Report on Absher app controversy.
- Senator Ron Wyden’s Official Website. Letter to Apple and Google CEOs.
- Saudi Ministry of Interior. Official Absher platform.
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About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)
