Apple and Google have been accused of helping to "enforce gender apartheid" in Saudi Arabia, by offering a sinister app that allows men to track women and stop them leaving the country. 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.

INSIDER reported on the existence of Absher last week, along with the story of Shahad Al Mohaimeed, a Saudi teen refugee who evaded the system to claim asylum in Sweden...Since the story was published, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both expressed concern about Google's and Apple's roles in hosting the app

Human Rights Watch told INSIDER: "Apple and Google have rules against apps that facilitate threats and harassment. Apps like this one can facilitate human rights abuses, including discrimination against women."

Amnesty International told INSIDER that the SMS alerts are "another example of how the Saudi Arabian government has produced tools to limit women's freedoms." It called on Apple and Google to accept that the app is being used to harm women, and demand changes to stop it happening in the future.