Apple has taken down an app that uses crowdsourcing to flag sightings of US immigration agents, apparently after being pressured by US authorities.
ICEBlock, a free iPhone-only app lets users anonymously report and monitor activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, was no longer available on Apple's App Store as of Friday, The AP news reported.
“We just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to “objectionable content',” the developer said in a social media post. “The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and we’ll fight this!"
The developer said last month that it had more than 1 million users. Even though it has been removed from the app marketplace, those who have already downloaded the app should still be able to use it.
Apple did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps," the company said in a statement to other media outlets. “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.”
Downloads of apps like ICEblock have surged as the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement with surprise raids. The technology has come under fire from authorities after agents were targeted.
In a July interview on Fox News, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said crowdsourced apps that allow people to communicate about the location of law enforcement officers is not allowed, specifically referring to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron.
“We are looking at him and he better watch out because that’s not a protected speech,” Bondi said at the time.
Yet there are many apps that track law enforcement that remain available to users, such as Waze or Google Maps. Those apps, in addition to providing navigation, alert drivers of potential locations of speed traps.
Officials said last month that a gunman who opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas had searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents.
