“Nice Try, FBI”: Stay Fit While Quarantined With The Government’s Home Fitness App

(TMU) — All across the United States people are spending a lot more time in their homes and will be there for the foreseeable future.

As such, many people are looking for new activities to occupy their time, including ways of staying fit. Thankfully the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has an app for that.

Those of us who simply can’t do sit-ups and push-ups on our own and are somehow unable to download one of the numerous fitness apps out there that aren’t associated with the U.S. government finally have an option.

On Monday, the FBI promoted an app on Twitter for #MotivationMonday. According to their tweet, the app provides users with “tips for indoor workouts” and “exercises you can do at home.”

https://twitter.com/FBI/status/1242058787160313857

The tweet links to an FBI.gov page that advertises the Bureau’s Physical Fitness Test app that “will help you learn the benchmarks of the official FBI Physical Fitness Test.”

According to the website, the app includes videos of FBI trainers who work at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, take the fitness test with the actual FBI scoring system, and “use your phone’s GPS and accelerometer for a more realistic PFT experience.”

Jonathan Cox, chief of the FBI Office of Public Affairs unit that worked with the FBI’s Training and Human Resources Divisions to create the app explained:

“In an increasingly mobile technological environment, FBI apps help the public connect with us on the devices they use so frequently—their cell phones and tablets. Although physical fitness test instructions are available online, the app adds an interactive, mobile element to learning more about this important test.“

“Whether you’re an aspiring agent” or “a fitness enthusiast curious about agent training,” you too can “train like an agent” from the comfort of your home while quarantined thanks to the FBI’s Physical Fitness Test app.

The app is available in both the App Store and Google Play. And according to the FBI, it doesn’t collect personal user data and reportedly operates in accordance with FBI.gov’s privacy policy.

However, some Twitter users weren’t so quick to trust the Bureau with their data and understandably questioned the motives behind the app.

https://twitter.com/thedonaldreddit/status/1242903841005277186

By Emma Fiala | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com