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Apple has removed several applications, including ICEBlock and ICE Immigration Alerts, from its App Store because they allowed users to track the movements of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
The decision comes after a strong push from US law enforcement, which argued the apps posed a significant danger to agents.
Apple’s official statement confirmed the removal was due to “safety risks” associated with the apps, based on information received directly from law enforcement. The tech giant’s stance is rooted in its App Store policy of maintaining a “safe and trusted place to discover apps.”
This reasoning was echoed by the US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had “demanded” the removal of ICEBlock, claiming it was “designed to put ICE agents at risk.”
The controversy was amplified by the FBI, which stated that a man who targeted an ICE facility in Dallas in September, killing two detainees, had used similar tracking apps.
The app developers, however, argue the removals are an act of censorship. Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock, accused Apple of “capitulating to an authoritarian regime,” equating his app to popular mapping features that crowdsource speed trap locations.
He maintains the app, which was downloaded over a million times, is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, developed to “keep people safe” amid a spike in immigration raids.
While the Department for Homeland Security praised the move as preventing “further bloodshed,” developers expressed concern over what they called a “chilling commentary on free speech.”
Google also removed similar apps from its Play Store, citing violations of its policies. The apps are no longer available for new downloads, though existing users can still access them.
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