Apple has removed ICEBlock and other applications from its App Store that allowed users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. This action followed pressure from the Trump administration.
The ICEBlock application, which went viral earlier this year, permitted users to lawfully share information about where they had seen ICE agents within a five-mile radius of their location. Users could also share details about the clothing the agents were wearing.
According to various media reports, Apple stated it removed the applications after being contacted by law enforcement regarding safety risks associated with ICEBlock and similar apps. Fox Business first reported the removal on Thursday, quoting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. She said Justice Department officials contacted Apple to remove apps like ICEBlock at her direction.
It is worth noting that ICEBlock does not collect or store any user data, a fact confirmed by an analysis of the application’s network traffic.
The takedown occurs amid mounting tensions between the Trump administration and those who oppose the government’s hardline immigration agenda. This follows a shooting at an ICE detention center in Dallas last week that resulted in two detainees being killed and one hospitalized. One media report cited an FBI official who claimed the gunman had searched for applications tracking the presence of ICE agents.
The U.S. government argues that applications like ICEBlock endanger federal workers by revealing their locations and likenesses. Officials have repeatedly threatened legal action against those using ICEBlock. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in July that officials were exploring if CNN could be prosecuted for reporting on the application.
U.S. Attorney General Bondi also warned ICEBlock’s developer, Joshua Aaron, in July that the Justice Department was looking at him.
Apple and the Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment. The developers of ICEBlock could not be reached for comment.