> it's currently #4 in the App Store (ahead of Threads, Gmail, and Google Maps) and #1 in News so they did something right

Not disagreeing. But why should its provenance force a higher standard? It’s a glorified news app, to my understanding. Is its breaching worse for national security than some weather app that had its moment in the sunlight?

Because it is at some level officially backed by the White House. That alone brings higher scrutiny.