Ain’t No Magic Over There…

What in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Queen of the Nile is going on? I’ma tell you right now, R.K ain’t got nuthin on them boys. In a recent article, Apple and Google refuse to remove an app that tracks women. No I did not say people, I said women! Lets not even talk about the burka’s. Saudia Arabia one of the most repressive countries on earth.

Google’s investigation into a Saudi app that lets men track women and prevent them from travelling found that it complies with the company’s terms and conditions and refuses to remove it. Apple say’s they are still investigating. Yeah, I bet. They are investigating what gonna happen to Google first. Anywho, Absher, powered by the Saudi government’s National Information Center, can be used by men to monitor women’s whereabouts and stop them from travelling. Both Apple and Google’s app stores offer the app, which can also be used to access government services.

Under the kingdom’s guardianship system, women are assigned a male relative whose approval is needed to apply for a passport, get married, or travel abroad. The Absher app asks male users to list any dependent women, and then allows them to ban travel. Reports of male disappearances have skyrocketed since the app was first introduced. Okay, I’m kidding. I’m thinking about if it happened here in the states.

In the last month, 14 U.S. lawmakers wrote to the CEOs of Apple and Google calling for the removal of Absher from their app stores.

“The ingenuity of American technology companies should not be perverted to violate the human rights of Saudi women. Twenty first century innovations should not perpetuate sixteenth century tyranny,” the Representatives said in the letter. “Keeping this application in your stores allows your companies and your American employees to be accomplices in the oppression of Saudi Arabian women and migrant workers.” Jokes aside, real talk.

The office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier confirmed to CNBC that a Google investigation found the app did not violate its terms and conditions, which means the app can remain on the Google Play store. The app has also faced condemnation from human rights advocacy groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. I asked a friend of mine what she thought about it and she said, I wish a beep, beep beep would!! I still haven’t found my phone, but I’m hopeful. With the app, men can input a woman’s name and passport number. They can then decide how many trips women can take, how long women can travel for, and whether to cancel a woman’s permission to travel. The app even offers real-time SMS updates that detail when women travel. ” She’s in the bathroom..” Okay, that shit is pathetic…

I know we got our own troubles over here. But like the saying goes…

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good (people) do nothing. Edmund Burke

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