Prayer app ditched after data sold to broker with defence links

Prayer app Muslim Pro cut ties with a technology company that sells location data to defence contractors after a report by Vice revealed how users’ movements were at risk of being sold to the US military.

The report explored how location data from Muslim Pro and other innocuous apps was obtained by brokers with ties to defence contractors, who sold it on to the military.

“We adhere to the most stringent privacy standards and data protection regulations, and never share any personal identifiable information,” Muslim Pro said.

“Regardless, in respect of the trust millions of prayers put in Muslim Pro every day, we are immediately terminating our relationships with our data partners – including with X-Mode, which started four weeks ago.”

The report suggested Muslim Pro sold information to X-Mode that included Wi-Fi network information, timestamps and the model of the device on which the app was installed.

The report prompted many users to delete the app, used by millions to find prayer timings and the Qibla angle, the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah towards which Muslims pray.

The hashtag #UninstallMuslimPro trended on social media and many users said they had already removed it.

Shereen Helal, 24, a student in Canada, said she uninstalled the app “in a panic”.

“The fact that it’s a Muslim app stings the most,” she told The National.

A UAE media executive said she was not surprised by the report.

“It’s a foregone conclusion that app developers will find avenues to monetise the data they collect,” she said.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy and public policy organisation in Los Angeles, said: “We must increase our data privacy literacy and collectively work to ensure transparency and equity in our data collection practices.”