Google has said it will not remove the controversial Saudi government app Absher from the Google Play store
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Following a February 28 deadline, which 14 members of Congress gave to the tech companies to remove Absher, Google told Representative Jackie Speier that the service will remain on its platform, Business Insider reported. A Saudi Interior Ministry employee stands in front of a screen displaying the Absher mobile app logo at the ministry in Riyadh on February 19, 2019. FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP
The app speeds up tasks such as checking mail, registering vehicles, applying for visas and making government appointments. However, the app is controversial because it also facilitates the country’s guardianship laws, regulations that mean women have to ask permission to travel from male relatives. Using the app, male guardians can grant or revoke a woman’s permission to travel and, crucially, set an SMS alert, registering a woman’s passport number, if they attempt to travel abroad.
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