On the Apple iTunes and Google Play store, the Absher app is described as an eServices application that provides users with a portal to the government of Saudi Arabia - but according to a US senator and human rights groups, it's also a tool to help control Saudi women.
On Monday, US Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter the CEO's of both companies, requesting the app be immediately removed from the app stores as it "enables Saudi men to track and control the movements of Saudi women".
"It is hardly news that the Saudi monarchy seeks to restrict and repress Saudi women, but American companies should not enable or facilitate the Saudi government's patriarchy," the letter read.
"By permitting the app in your respective stores, your companies are making it easier for Saudi men to control their family members from the convenience of their smartphones and restrict their movement."
The letter comes after a Business Insider report claimed Saudi men can use the app to specify when and where women are allowed to fly out of the country and revoke travel permission.
A 2016 report by Human Rights Watch also outlines how an automatic text message service within the app alerts male guardians when women enter and exit the country.
"You would think the government would use technology to move forward but instead they are moving backwards," one 25-year-old Saudi woman said in the report.
It is illegal for women in the kingdom to travel without the permission of a male guardian, typically a male relative or spouse.
In a statement to the Washington Post, human rights group Amnesty International called on the tech giants to investigate how the app is being used.
"We call on Apple and Google to assess the risk of human rights abuses on women, which is facilitated by the App, and mitigate the harm that the App has on women,” it said.
According to the app description, it has been designed so users can "browse your profile or your family members, or labours working for you, and perform a wide range of eServices online".
On Google Play, Absher has been downloaded more than a million times and has a rating of 4.6. Download data is not available for Apple devices.
The outrage comes after a serious of high profile cases drew attention to alleged human rights abuses within the kingdom, including the killing of journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khaggoshi and the plight of teenager , who fled the country citing abuse at the hands of her family.
