Apple removes ICE tracking apps from App Store over ‘safety risks’ to law enforcement
Apple removed ICEBlock and other Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tracking apps from its store Thursday, citing law enforcement concerns about the “safety risks” the apps posed.
The removal of the apps comes a week after a sniper opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas, killing two migrants and amid a wave of violent protests against federal immigration authorities.
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“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” Apple said in a statement provided to The Post.
“Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store,” the tech giant said.
ICEBlock, launched earlier this year, uses crowdsourcing to track and alert users to the whereabouts of ICE officers.
The app’s website notes ICEBlock was “modeled after Waze but for ICE sightings” and is designed to “empower communities to stay informed about ICE presence within a 5-mile radius while maintaining their anonymity through real-time updates and automatic deletion of sightings after four hours.”
ICEBlock’s motto is “See something, tap something.”
Fox Business first reported on ICEBlock’s removal from the App Store.
The Justice Department had previously asked Apple to remove the app, according to the outlet.
“We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed,” Bondi added. “This Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe.”
ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron told Fox News Digital he was “incredibly disappointed” by Apple’s decision to remove the app.
“Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” Aaron said. “Apple has claimed they received information from law enforcement that ICEBlock served to harm law enforcement officers. This is patently false.”
“We are determined to fight this with everything we have.”
The DOJ did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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