Apple removes ICE tracking apps from App Store over ‘safety risks’ to law enforcement
The Justice Department had requested that the ICEBlock app be removed. REUTERS
Apple removed ICEBlock and several other apps that track Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities from its App Store on Thursday, citing concerns from law enforcement about potential safety risks.
The move comes just a week after a sniper opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas, killing two migrants, and amid ongoing protests against federal immigration authorities.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” Apple said in a statement. “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.”
ICEBlock, which launched earlier this year, allows users to crowdsources alerts about the location of ICE officers. Its website describes the app as “modeled after Waze but for ICE sightings” and says it helps users stay informed about ICE presence within a 5-mile radius while maintaining anonymity. Sightings are automatically deleted after four hours. The app’s motto is “See something, tap something.”
Fox Business first reported the removal, noting that the Justice Department had previously requested Apple take the app down.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so. 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. 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 expressed disappointment over the decision. “Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” he told Fox News Digital. “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 Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
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