And it’s available at both iTunes and Google Play.
Both Google Play and iTunes host Absher, a government web service that allows men to specify when and how women can cross Saudi borders, and to get close to real-time SMS updates when they travel.
Absher also has benign functions — like paying parking fines — but its travel features have been identified by activists and refugees as a major factor in the continued difficulty women have leaving Saudi Arabia.
Saudi men can register their dependents’ passport numbers, so they will receive notification if a wife or daughter tries to use her passport. Men can also set limits on where and when women can travel.
Some women do escape. One teenager waited until her family was on vacation in Turkey, so she was already outside of Saudi Arabia. She also stole her entire family’s phones, so they would not get notification when she used her passport.
Others sneak onto their father’s phones and change the phone number registered in Absher, so he won’t receive the notification, or change the permissions so they are allowed to leave. This only works if they can get access to their guardian’s phone, and he doesn’t notice the changes.
On the bright side...social media is encouraging Saudi women to escape.
"There used to be no girls paying attention to asylum, now they all know about asylum, and they know about escape plans," he said.