Absher
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About
Absher is a database application and government portal created by and for the government of Saudi Arabia. While the application has many similarities to other government websites, because of restrictions on the rights of women within the nation, Absher also features a database of the country's female citizens, allowing their husbands to put travel restrictions on them from inside the app. Once selected, this will invalidate the female citizen's passport, barring them from leaving the country. As a result, the application has been heavily criticized outside of Saudi Arabia.
History
Absher launched on June 29th, 2015 on Apple's iOS mobile operating system.[1]
Features
By default, Absher is an Arabic-language application but also has the capacity to be translated into English. One of the main uses for the application is as a government portal. Users can pay traffic tickets, register vehicles and book appointments at passport offices.
Restrictions on Female Citizens
Because of the restrictions placed upon female citizens within Saudi Arabia, the application allows male users to control their "dependents," or wives and children, travel allowances through the app. From the application, users can select "Dependents," which include women and children in the male user's family. These are listed in three categories: "Total Dependents," "Total Dependents Outside [Saudi Arabia]" and "Total Dependents Inside [Saudi Arabia]." In this case, "Outside" refers to women traveling outside the country or studying abroad at school (screenshot below, left).
Additionally, male users can set travel restrictions on their female dependents, including how many trips they are allowed to take and for how long (screenshot below, right). If a female dependent attempts to bypass these restrictions by traveling while the restrictions are set, the male user receives a push notification, alerting them to restricted female travel.
Highlights
Criticism
On February 1st, 2019, Insider[3] published an expose on the application, as well as relaying stories of women who were stopped at border crossings, attempting to flee the country, because of Absher.
Nearly two weeks later, United States Senator Roby Wyden (Oregon) wrote an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding that the application be removed from their respective app stores. He writes:
I write to ask that you immediately remove from your app stores the Saudi government's Absher app, which enables Saudi men to track and control the movements of Saudi women.
[…]
I ask that you take immediate action to prevent your technical infrastructure, including your app stores, from being used by the Saudi government to enable the abhorrent surveillance and control of women. Your employees and your customers expect better, as do millions and millions of Americans who support America's promotion of basic rights and dignity around the world.
Dear Mr. Cook and Mr. Pichai:I write to ask that you immediately remove from your app stores the Saudi government's Absher app, which enables Saudi men to track and control the movements of Saudi women.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior's National Information Center operates Absher, an online e-portal through which Saudi citizens can interact with their government. However, according to media reports, Saudi men can also use Absher to surveil and track women under their "guardianship," such as their wives and unmarried daughters.
Saudi men can also reportedly use Absher to receive real-time text message alerts every time these women enter or leave the country or to prevent these women from leaving the country.
It is hardly news that the Saudi monarchy seeks to restrict and repress Saudi women, but American companies should not enable or facilitate the Saudi government's patriarchy. By permitting the app in your respective stores, your companies are making it easier for Saudi men to control their family members from the convenience of their smartphones and restrict their movement.
This flies in the face of the type of society you both claim to support and defend.
To that end, I ask that you take immediate action to prevent your technical infrastructure, including your app stores, from being used by the Saudi government to enable the abhorrent surveillance and control of women. Your employees and your customers expect better, as do millions and millions of Americans who support America's promotion of basic rights and dignity around the world.
Sincerely,
Ron Wyden
United States Senator
In an interview with National Public Radio,[4] Cook said that he would investigate the application. He said, "I haven't heard about it. But obviously, we'll take a look at it if that's the case."
Traffic
According to Apptopia, the application has been downloaded more than 4 million times on Apple's iOS platform and 5 million times on Google's Android mobile operating system.[2]
Search History
External References
[2] Business Insider – Apple CEO Tim Cook promises to investigate the Saudi app branded 'abhorrent' for allowing men to track women
[3] Insider – Saudi Arabia runs a huge, sinister online database of women that men use to track them and stop them from running away
[4] NPR – Apple, Google Criticized For Carrying App That Lets Saudi Men Track Their Wives
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