【Down Town】

How does one get "hip with the kids" when you have Down Townan archaic social message they would have zero interest in? Make an app that hoovers their data and tracks their location, of course. They'll love it!

On Tuesday, Australian anti-marriage equality campaign group Marriage Alliance launched its new Android and iOS app.

It comes as the government continues to support a plebiscite, or a non-binding public vote, to answer the question of marriage equality in Australia. There are fears the plebiscite, which is yet to win the support of the opposition Labor party, could stir up anti-LGBTQ sentiment.

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If the vote goes ahead, Marriage Alliance's eponymous app would become part of its campaign to convince Australians to exclude same-sex couples.

Claiming it connects users with others who are "actively defending marriage," the app awards points for actions such as inviting friends, donating funds and "liking" Marriage Alliance on Twitter.

"The innovations we are bringing to the marriage campaign will eclipse anything that has previously been seen in Australia," Marriage Alliance spokeswoman Sophie York told the Australian.

As BuzzFeed Newspointed out, the app comes with conservative pedigree. The developer, Political Social Media LLC, has also built similar apps for right-wing causes like Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

So why make an app? After all, the obvious problem with using dedicated apps in political campaigns is it's incredibly hard to make them sticky. A report earlier in the year from social media analytics firm Localytics, for example, found that 23 percent of people abandon apps after just one use.

Still, if you download the Marriage Alliance app and log in, it's got your email address or Facebook ID -- and that's probably all the group wanted anyway.

It also "may automatically collect and store ... the URL of the last web page you visited before coming to our mobile application."

To put it bluntly, the app's privacy policy demonstrates the whole thing is an exercise in data collection. If you think your use of the app is private, think again.

The app tracks your phone's location when in use, ostensibly to connect you to other registered users in your vicinity. It also logs your unique mobile device ID.

To build a more detailed profile of you, it also "may automatically collect and store ... the URL of the last web page you visited before coming to our mobile application."

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It also seems to be liberal about sharing your data.

The privacy policy states the group will use your personal information "to share information, send you communications ... and raise funds for our campaign." It also reserves the right to share your details with campaigns or political organisations Marriage Alliance believes have a similar viewpoint, building a target list for socially conservative causes.

Not only that. The app reserves the right to send these details to third party companies and individuals in the U.S. Sign up and you've basically identified yourself as receptive to conservative messaging in at least two countries. That's going to be a shame for all the curious journalists that signed up.

Sally Rugg, marriage equality director at progressive advocacy group GetUp!, told Mashablethe app was clearly an exercise in data-mining.

"It requests to access the numbers in your phone, and gamifies recruiting other people to the app," she said in an email. "But it's a super-complex and inefficient way of collecting data, in my opinion."

What's the point of apps in activism anyway?

Campaign apps, generally, are a pretty lacklustre way to get your point across.

Daniel Spencer, national campaigner at the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC), told Mashablethe climate change advocacy group doesn't have its own app.

It's a matter of resources, he said, but the challenge of building a truly useful app is also an issue.

"As technology advances and people become more connected to their phones, different apps can be great to enable rapid communication and get them taking action," he said. "But it's only as useful as how much people actually use it."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In his view, a reward system like the Marriage Alliance app wouldn't sit well with AYCC's audience. "Our supporters aren't in it for winning a prize," he said.

Rugg agreed the app's game-like features would have limited appeal. "In digital campaigning, you want to meet people where they are -- whether it's on email, Facebook or another platform," she said. "An app simply creates complex barriers between the person you're trying to reach and the action you want them to take."

"Liking a Facebook page does not create a strong commitment."

In AYCC's case, the group is moving away from simply broadcasting messages to trying to engage others in conversation and action.

A recent campaign that resonated was "Dump your Bank," in which people pledged to leave their banks if the institution invested in Australia's Adani coal mine.

"It was digital campaign with offline impact," he said. "Because the ask was slightly more than the regular thing, people remembered doing it. It felt tangible. Liking a Facebook page does not create a strong commitment."

Ultimately, the privacy-invading app indicates how unlikely Australia is to have what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called "respectful" debate on the issue.

"Inefficacy aside, creating an app to recruit people to oppose LGBTI rights is pretty ugly," Rugg added. "It's another glimpse into the bizarre lengths opponents of marriage equality will go to in order to deny people the right to marry the person they love."

Marriage Alliance has been contacted by Mashablefor comment.