Apple Removes ICE Tracking App From App Store Following Government Pressure Apple has removed the app ICEBlock from the App Store. The app allowed users to mark locations on a map where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were reportedly spotted. Apple also pulled other apps that served a similar function. The removal came after pressure from government officials. According to reports, Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded the takedown, stating the apps were designed to put ICE agents at risk while performing their duties. She called violence against law enforcement an intolerable red line and said the Department of Justice would continue efforts to protect federal officers. In a statement, Apple said it created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place. The company said that based on information received from law enforcement about safety risks linked to ICEBlock, it removed the app and similar ones. The demand for removal followed a report that the gunman who attacked an ICE facility in Dallas used tracking apps, including ICEBlock, to carry out the shooting from a rooftop. The gunman killed two immigrants and injured a third, though he was allegedly targeting ICE agents. Joshua Aaron, the developer of ICEBlock, expressed his disappointment with Apple decision. He called it capitulation to an authoritarian regime and stated that the claim the app harmed law enforcement officers was patently false. Aaron said he is determined to fight the removal and that his mission is to protect people from the terror of the administration. The ICEBlock app had previously climbed to the top of the App Store charts after administration officials publicly criticized it, which raised its profile. Officials had warned the developer at the time that they were looking at him and that he should watch out. Reports indicate the app was downloaded more than one million times since its launch. The administration border czar, Tom Homan, recently stated the government would investigate the people who created these apps for putting law enforcement at great risk.
