Federal Workers Can’t Get the White House’s App Off Their Phones
https://www.wired.com/story/story/government-workers-cant-get-the-white-houses-app-off-their-phones/
https://www.wired.com/story/story/government-workers-cant-get-the-white-houses-app-off-their-phones/
42 Comments
mundane@sh.itjust.works · 109 pts · 51d
Don't use the work phone as your personal phone
FauxPseudo@lemmy.world · 81 pts · 51d
It's worse than that. This app tracks your location through a third party non-government company. If you have a location sensitive government job like being a soldier near the middle east this app is a national security issue.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 51d
This. Too many people view work devices as “Free [ipad, laptop], bro!” and use it for all sorts of personal stuff.
It’s not yours. The company can take it at any time, or if remotely managed, view device contents at any time. If any of that material is against company policy or illegal, you’re probably gonna be disciplined or fired.
For most it’s probably NBD. Corporate won’t care if you’re just some mid-level lackey watching Netflix on the company device.
pazuzuzu@lemmy.nz · 5 pts · 50d
A lot of government jobs provide you with a phone that is provisioned for closed government networks.
The White House spp is likely being used to spy on those networks.
sanitation@lemmy.today · -13 pts · 51d
Yeah ok. So in this country means you are resigning and good luck finding another job
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 20 pts · 51d
Or just have two phones; one for work that's off when you're off, and your private phone.
TheNamlessGuy@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 51d
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 51d
Unless you have agreed to be available outside of office hours and then turn it off, that's unlikely to happen.
bridgeburner@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 50d
Yeah if u live in the shithole country called USA lol
terabyterex@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 51d
i hate this admonistration, hate the app but these are wprk phones. what are people expecting here?
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 52 pts · 51d
I might consider agreeing with you, except the app is full of third-party spyware and for-profit tracking software that's operated by foreign companies.
Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 51d
Leave it at the office then.
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 23 pts · 51d
The problem is that it's at the office in the first place.
It creates a massive hole in IT security and allows attack vectors to get into government networks and files.
It's like driving your brand new car into a busy part of town, leaving the keys in the ignition, leaving the door open, and stepping away for hours. And then doing it again the next day, and the day after that, even after each car has been stolen.
Chronographs@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 51d
It’s like that except it’s a company car and they’re making you do it.
badgermurphy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 51d
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 51d
The reflecting pool was the administration's fuckup, and they aren't the ones taking the blame for it. Same here, they will scapegoat others. Our great leaders can never be wrong.
badgermurphy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 51d
terabyterex@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 51d
oh if i wasnt clear, its bad, its stupid, its a fucking mess but you cant unustall work apps from your work phone. congressneeds to step in
artyom@piefed.social · -2 pts · 51d
So like normal work phones
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 51d
I'm expecting the federal government to not do shit like this
tabular@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 51d
Expect better??
pazuzuzu@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 50d
The user is likely not the target of the spying. The white house is likely spying on other branches and agencies within the government.
TIEPilot@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 51d
My old job tried this w/ my personal cell phone (for logging in). I told them where to go with that. Then they threatened a layoff, so I had to relent while I looked for another job. Turns out my phone was too old to support the software.
They can't force me to upgrade and they were too cheap to buy me a new phone. They found a work around real quick as I couldn't do my job and they had to double me up w/ a coworker (OT). less then 24hrs later I was back on the network. And quit a few months later.
IT people were beside themselves, they were "you don't upgrade your phone ever new release" I was like F that noise I climb antenna's for a living, at no point to I need the latest and greatest to be an antenna monkey.
johnyreeferseed@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 13 pts · 50d
They tried that at one of my jobs as well. A bunch of us refused to install it on our personal phones. Management started floating the idea of getting work phones for those people. Came in and asked how many of us would like a work phone instead of installing the app on our phones. They were not prepared for how many of us raised our hands. Never heard anything about it again.
TIEPilot@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 50d
Company before my last provided phones as they were super paranoid about 3rd part software. Righty so as its a huge telecom company. Wasn't a great phone, it pissed me off more that I had to carry 2 phones when on call/at work.
Next company is 2x times bigger and known to the worst in my field. I needed a quick job and the shit started from day 1. I didn't last 6 months. But I did keep them off my phone, even thought it was tech obsolescence that kept them off :)
And the killer bit was the company owns a cellphone company! No freebee's in fact the 1st couple of months there my boss or higher up bosses would send me emails to switch over to them. Dickhead that owns the company wanted 100% of the employees to be subscribers.
Fuck that lol
Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus · 27 pts · 51d
The only sane approach to propaganda
Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz · 19 pts · 51d
They should go back to doing that instead then.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 51d
I guess people here just can't grasp why this is different when it's the federal fucking government and not their shitty IT job
GreenShimada@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 51d
Can't get it off their....work phones.
Probably also can't get their work email and Teams and whatever else is on there off their work phones. Because they're work phones. If you're not on, put your work phone in a shoe box far from where you sit and hang out. faraday bag, even better.
Wired, c'mon. Only a genuine idiot would use a work phone as a personal phone. Anyone complaining about this gets what they deserve.
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 51d
You're missing the point. This app is written by outside, for-profit companies who don't care about data security. And the app is so full of security holes that it means work email and work chat may be skimmed by people outside the organization.
This isn't a case of "don't use your work phone for personal stuff."
This is a case of e.g. "foreign criminal organizations can potentially steal American Social Security databases."
GreenShimada@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 51d
These people literally give away classified documents to friends as party favors. No one that isn't an idiot thinks they're doing anything other than undermining the US in every thing they do. It's literally part of Peter Thiel's goal, to pump and dump the whole country. It's been pump for too long, so they'll crash it, buy cheap, and then act like kings.
atrielienz@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 51d
Not every government employee is a Trump stooge.
GreenShimada@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 51d
I wasn't talking about government employees. I was talking about the elected officials :)
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 51d
And this article is about federal employees
FullPenguin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 51d
And Federal Devices. If those devices aren't secure, that's not the employee's problem.
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 51d
It is when they work in intelligence and someone can find out and kidnap or kill their family to threaten them.
tal@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 51d
Necessity is the mother of invention, I suppose.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/06/trump-just-hit-a-crazy-approval-rating-in-startling-new-poll.html
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 51d
Except rank and file government employees hate him too. Outside of some law enforcement departments, he is very very underwater with federal employees.
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 50d
Open the pod bay doors, Hal.
I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that right now.
TheDeadInternet@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 51d
Woops left my phone somewhere.
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · -2 pts · 51d
Yes... this is how Mobile Device Management works for every company. The company determines which apps you can have on your phone, and which are required. It's literally how work phones are handled by companies worldwide.
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 51d
Yeah, but normally the MDM is used to prevent security breaches. Not create them.
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 51d
One mans security breach is another mans safety (surveillance) feature
FullPenguin@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 51d
Sure, but either way, it's not the employee's problem.