The church just came out with a new app for the youth to use. Yeah it’s sold as a convenience but apps can be dubious. They can track your data, location and even download stuff you don’t want onto your device. I wouldn’t trust an app from the church but I’m sure there will be pressure for the kids to load it on their phones.

The church could track your online activity and even your location through the app not to mention just another method for the church to use to pry into your life.

Didn't they just dump their old vanguard of using HT/VT as a way of compiling data for ward council?

I agree that I wouldn't trust the church with my personal data.

And there are people who can't afford to get their kids phones. Doesn't the church want the kids off social media?

My neighbors have 6 kids. It is one thing to buy the parents phones, but to buy 6 kids phones, too!!!!

My TBM sister tells me president Nelson wants to use mobile devices to take the church forward. Notice the church is using YouTube and social media more to promote itself. The church was always into using new media. Now they are using apps.

But the church couldn’t use TV to gather data on it’s members. They can with apps; especially if they have a cleverly written user’s agreement that you click on to give the church legal access and even ownership of your data.

When I was a member years ago, they had this whole Church sponsored program called "Northstar" where you could control everything on your computer and make sure your kids were not surfing porn, or going to websites you didn't want them visiting.
Then I started looking up 'anti-Mormon websites' like this one and one thing led to another and I got rid of that software, and resigned.

Check this language out about a participation https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/create/participant-release.pdf

I was asked to sign this for a child to go to a youth conference. My TBM stake president dad said don’t sign this.

I have a testimony that the IRI, Inc is quite evil.

I spoke to one of the lawyers at that phone number listed, and she said my child has the option of not going if I did not want to sign the form.

The real kick in the pants is at the end...

They take all rights, powers and privileges associated with your "recordings" along with whatever money they can make off them, BUT if they get sued based on the"recordings" they appropriated, YOU will defend and protect them and pay any judgment entered against them.

Jesus simply has the best and most vicious attorneys money can buy! But I don't think it would withstand judicial review...

The conversation with the IRI, Inc lawyer was interesting. IRI does not accept any modifications to the ‘agreement’. She also said that any photo that is uploaded to any ‘LDS’ website they own the copyright. I asked what if it was also uploaded to face book as well? She seemed to think they would not worry about it until it became an issue. That doc also says you give them rights to any past present and future recordings.

When I showed this to my dad, he was sort of in disbelief that ‘the church’ would have such a far reaching thing to sign. He said the prophet is inspired but the church administration is not always inspired. The prophet cannot be aware of all the details like this. Ok, Dad... what ever.

I would love to see some serious investigation into IRI, Inc to help members understand what this arm of the Lord’s church is about. I’m not saying it is illegal, I think it is running on bd ethics.

I have heard the church administration blamed for the church’s faults so much and the religious leaders are never blamed. Reality check. The first presidency and quorum of the twelve are the top administrators of the church.

... that your bishop could find out where your phone was every minute of the day.

Many of us had no problems 'sinning' even though we know ghawd was watching us. It kind of makes one consider the possibility that the reality of ghawd is a bit strained, on a Monday thru Saturday timeline. Maybe you said to yourself, "Oh, this isn't going to look good when ghawd watches this video!" But you did it anyway.

But what if the Holy McGhost App sent audio and video to the church's serves 24/7?

If something like that is ever 'revealed' by ghawd, quick, buy stock in any company making 'Faraday Bags'; they will sell out in the Morridor!

Better your bishop thinks you're a goat, rather than that he KNOW that you're a wolf.

I think missionaries are forced to carry mission issued tablets, phones and tablets. I am sure that they are being monitored/tracked.

I am just glad that I served when the leaders had to physically hunt you down to verify that you were doing "missionary work". So long as you weren't hanging out in your apartment all day, you could goof off without getting caught.

   

The days of disconnecting the speedometer cable and taking the mission car on a joy ride out of your area or even the mission are over.

I’m sure the mission office tracks the missionaries with their mobile devices. They certainly could become the eyes and ears of the mission president.

   

This tech would be most useful for missionary tracking above all else.

If so, then the LDS are late to the party.

I would be more concerned by the constant data harvesting by the government and Google (who work hand in hand), Microsoft. We like to blame the Russians for everything - like we were told some aging app would feed into Russian face recognition software, but I always point out Facebook had been doing this before. If you don't use hard cash, all your spending is all monitored for you too.

Some cretins actually instal facial recognition cameras in their homes and listening devices ("personal assistants"). We're being locked into a prison and will soon be told it's what the public wanted. Thanks corporations! Thanks governments!

I'm not sure the LDS has much power to track all the inactives. They are the vast majority of members in my local ward, and come in all kinds of flavors. Some of them haven't been seen in decades.

Great point! I don't approve of a lot of things Richard Stallman says, but I do believe he's got a point by calling smartphones "personal tracking devices".

I pre ordered one of these phones last September.

https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/#overview

The people who ordered them two years ago and longer have started receiving their phones starting late last year. Mine is scheduled to ship to me this coming July. The release is incremental with six hardware revisions taking place before they lock-in the hardware design in the sixth version. The goal is to give you a Linux based phone that is completely void of surveillance capitalism and that never runs out of support and software upgrades. You have full control of the operating system the way you do on a PC.

How do you know RfM isn’t a clever church spy app? Notice how addictive it is. Many users have over 10,000 posts.

It can be. But if it is, apparently it doesn't do them any good, as the precious feedback and legitimate dissatisfaction expressed on this board gets wasted away. Had they been smarter - they would have paid attention. Rather, they double down on obedience. Which tells me... the RfM is legit.

there is no reason why a church needs an app, but a business.....