The administration sent out a notice to DHS personnel on June 16, Politico said.
The White House app is reportedly coming to all devices managed by the Department of Homeland Security, whether the user wants to download it or not. According to Politico, an email went out to all Homeland Security personnel on June 16, telling them the app will be automatically installed on all government devices.
it’s not quite clear whether that means it will eventually be loaded onto all federal agencies’ phones in the future, with Homeland Security being one of the first. But the email reportedly described the app as “a convenient way to access official White House communications, including announcements, executive actions, speeches, livestreams, videos and other updates.”
The government officially launched the White House app back in March, promising live streams of presidential addresses, press briefings, latest events and articles that praise the Trump administration. It also gives users access to consolidated feeds from the government’s official social media accounts, and apparently, a list of the current cost of common grocery items.
While the administration has yet to confirm this, Government Executive reported in May that it was planning to automatically install the White House app on government employees’ work phones. The rollout will span “all government-furnished mobile phones in the executive branch,” the internal memo the publication saw reportedly said. At the time, the app was already slated for installation on all Federal Aviation Administration devices, GovExec said. As Gizmodo notes, a former government IT executive told GovExec that it was a “cause for alarm,” as any app installed on government-issued devices can “potentially create backdoor access to government networks behind the firewall.”