Apple And Google Remove Apps Tracking ICE Agents
Apple has removed ICEBlock and several similar apps from its App Store after government officials raised concerns about safety risks linked to tools that let users track US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The growth of ICE-Tracking Apps
A growing number of mobile apps are helping immigrants stay safe amid ICE deportations, providing critical information such as “Know Your Rights” guides and legal aid resources. Among them was ICEBlock, which allowed users to anonymously report sightings of ICE agents in their area, including descriptions of what the agents were wearing.
ICEBlock quickly gained traction, amassing more than one million downloads since its launch earlier this year, according to data provided to NBC News by the app tracking firm Appfigures. Its popularity surged even further after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the app during a June 30 briefing, briefly making it the top social networking app on Apple’s App Store.
Apple Removes ICEBlock
Apple stated that it removed the apps after being contacted by “law enforcement” regarding “safety risks” associated with ICEBlock and similar apps. In an emailed statement, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so.”
The removal of the app comes after a shooting at an ICE detention center in Dallas last week, which led to two detainees being killed and one being taken to the hospital. An FBI official claimed that the gunman Joshua Jahn searched the apps tracking the presence of ICE agents, according to CNBC.
Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock, told CBNC that he asked Apple to reconsider its decision to remove the app from the App Store. “I’m incredibly disappointed with the decision that Apple made,” Aaron said. “In almost every interview that I did, I was asked if I was afraid that Apple might take the app down, and my answer was always to defend Apple and say, you know, look, when this app was first submitted, it went through a heavy review process with both Apple’s legal and senior officials in App Review.”
Google Takes Similar Action
Google has joined Apple in removing from its online store other apps that can be used to report sightings of ICE agents and other authorities anonymously. However, Google did not carry ICEBlock, according to NBC News.
“ICEBlock was never available on Google Play, but we removed similar apps for violations of our policies,” a Google spokesperson told NBC News. The spokesperson stated that the Justice Department had not contacted Google regarding its offering of such apps.
Image: Kevin Grieve
