White House app has spyware? Trump TV frenzy sparks fresh fears amid row over POTUS' media ban for CNN, MS Now, Politico

Several claims have been made online about the White House app possibly accessing data which users might not want to share, amid a frenzy over Trump TV. 

Published on: Sep 22, 2026, 10:32:28 IST

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President Donald Trump's White House announced the launch of Trump TV, which provides a 24/7 stream. This can be accessed via the White House app which was earlier announced by the administration.

The moves come after the Republican president banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico, from the press pool, leading to others – including Fox News – stopping coverage of the president in solidarity. Now, the banned media houses are also suing over White House access.

While the Trump TV announcement has caused a frenzy on social media with many supporters opting for it over mainstream media houses, the president's critics have voiced fears about the White House app.

White House app sparks fears

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Chef Joe Gera, a known critic of the Trump administration, was among the first to sound an alarm bell over the new White House app. “A PSA: do NOT download the White House app. It is doing something very weird with the sandbox permissions you give it. Which I’m not sure yet, but is likely against every service term and developer agreement on earth. I downloaded it so you don’t have to onto an air gapped old iPad. It is phoning home, asking for way too much personal data, and attempting to bypass location services permissions. Aside from the propaganda, it’s a security nightmare,” he wrote on X.

Another added “If you’re dumb enough to download the White House app then you deserve to be spied on and followed.” Yet another said “The White House app is almost certainly a Mossad spyware special.”

The White House, promoting the app, had written “Get real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone. No noise. Just the news that matters most – straight from the Trump Administration.” Despite social media fears, there's no verifiable information about the White House app containing spyware.

White House app tracks user data: Report

In May 2026, it was reported that the White House app tracked users every four minutes via the app. A report, also published by Yahoo News, noted that the White House app transmitted GPS coordinates to OneSignal servers every 4.5 minutes when active. This drppped to 9.5 minutes when running in the background.

As per the report, a user's IP address, timezone, phone model, carrier information, and session patterns were all on record when using the app. The report also noted that the White House app housed hidden code which manipulated web content to do away with privacy safeguards.

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