Prayer app Muslim Pro said it has terminated a partnership contract effective 'immediately' after a Vice report that it had sold users' data to the US military.
Muslim Pro categorically denied the claims.
The allegations made about the app in a Vice report caused a stir in the online Muslim community. The report alleges that the data reportedly sold by Muslim Pro to X-Mode, a location data company, included Wi-Fi network information, timestamps and the model of the device using Muslim Pro.
"On 16 November 2020, Vice media reported that the Muslim prayer app Muslim Pro was selling personal data of its users to the US military. This is incorrect and untrue," Muslim Pro told The National on Tuesday.
After the release of the report, the hashtag #UninstallMuslimPro trended on social media, with many users saying they had already removed the application from their phones, while others promoted the use of alternative apps.
Muslim Pro is used by millions to find prayer timings according to geographical location, Qibla angle (the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah that Muslims pray towards), and features a digital version of the Quran with an explanation of the verses as well as other features.
In a CNN interview, X-Mode founder Josh Anton said the company tracks 25 million devices every month in the US and 40 million across the world. Mr Anton claimed in the interview that X-Mode keeps users' information anonymous.
The National has contacted X-Mode for comment on the allegations.
“We adhere to the most stringent privacy standards and data protection regulations, and never share any personal identifiable information,” Muslim Pro said.
Muslim Pro did not immediately respond to The National's request for a clarification about whether it was selling anonymised data.
“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,” it said.
One former Muslim Pro user, Shereen Helal, 24, a Canada-based postgraduate student, said she uninstalled the application "in a panic” once she read the news.
"The fact that it's a Muslim app stings the most," she told The National.
“I’ve had the app for as long as I can remember. Since I spend time in non-Muslim countries, it has become a lot easier for me to use Muslim Pro for prayer timings than to check at my local mosque every few days for these timings,” Ms Helal said.
A UAE media executive told The National she was "not surprised" about the news.
“It’s a foregone conclusion that app developers will find avenues to monetise the data they collect,” she said.
A 2017 Deloitte survey of 2,000 people in the US found that 91 per cent "willingly accept legal terms and conditions without reading them before installing apps, registering Wi-Fi hot spots, accepting updates, and signing on to online services such as video streaming".
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.”
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
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Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
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The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
