Millions of people visit Saudi Arabian city of Makkah each year to perform Umrah. AFP
Millions of people visit Saudi Arabian city of Makkah each year to perform Umrah. AFP
Millions of people visit Saudi Arabian city of Makkah each year to perform Umrah. AFP
Millions of people visit Saudi Arabian city of Makkah each year to perform Umrah. AFP

French users sue Muslim prayer app over claimed US army links


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French users of a Muslim prayer app accused of selling data that ended up with the US army are suing the company, their lawyers said on Monday.

Former subscribers to the Muslim Pro app, which claims to have 95 million users around the world, have filed the complaint after media reports accused the group of sharing its data with companies connected to the US military.

The lawsuit, revealed by France's RTL radio, accuses the company of data-protection offences, abuse of trust, endangering other people's lives and conspiracy to commit murder.

The case is due to be filed on Tuesday.

It follows a report by the Vice media group last week on how the US army bought users' geolocation data from apps around the world.

They include Muslim Pro, which has a geolocation option that enables users to determine the hour of prayer and the direction of Mecca.

The company sold this data to a company called X-Mode, which sold it on to sub-contractors and by extension the army, Vice reported.

US Special Forces could then use the data on overseas missions, the report said, speculating that they could be used for extrajudicial executions of terror suspects through drone strikes.

A day after the report came out, Muslim Pro said it was ending all sharing of its data with other companies.

The company, which was founded by a French national who is based in Singapore, said it had launched an internal investigation.

MATCH INFO

UAE Division 1

Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens

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Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.

Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.

The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million