After waking up to the scary reality of having their personal data sold to military contractors by Muslim Pro, Muslims find themselves yet again in the same predicament. This time via a similar prayer app: Salaat First.
Salaat First has been downloaded over ten million times. This popular app that reminds Muslims when to pray, has been recording and selling Muslim granular location information to Predicio, which is linked to a U.S. contractor that works with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Motherboard, the same media outlet that broke the Muslim Pro story explains that it “obtained a large dataset of those raw, precise movements of users of the app from a source. The source who provided the dataset was concerned that such sensitive information, which could potentially track Muslims going about their day including visiting places of worship, could be abused by those who buy and make use of the data”.
The Role of Trust in Islam
Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due …
Source: Quran 4:58
The word used in the Quran for trust: “Amana”, means trust, honesty, responsibility, and integrity in all the duties which Allah has placed upon humans. This includes the running of a business, and in today’s world, the handling of customer or client data.
According to many Qur’anic commentaries, honesty is an obligation upon every person in all the circumstances. Everyone is required to act honestly in any matter in which they are involved. This includes rulers, judges, scholars, and every person who is in the position of trust to carry out their duty, whether the trust is connected to world affairs or the hereafter.
Source: Al-Tabari, vol.4, p149.
Importance of Privacy and Data Transparency
Over the years, reliable data has become the foundation of digital marketing and online advertising. After the introduction of GDPR, COPPA, and California’s CCPA, the average Muslim consumer is now more aware of how their privacy can be exploited and are more cautious today.
The MuslimPro and Salaat First scandals only add fuel to the fire.
Muslim Ad Network urges advertisers to respect the Muslim users they are targeting and their rights not to have their data sold or used in nefarious ways. Breaking trust is unnecessary for providing personalized and relevant ads.
At Muslim Ad Network, we do our utmost best to adhere to the Islamic Advertising Principles at all times.
If you are looking for an experienced partner to reach Muslim customers online honestly and efficiently, feel free to contact us. We have over a decade worth of experience in matching brands and organizations to Muslims online.
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