Apple has removed ICEBlock and other apps from its App Store that allow users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, following pressure from the Trump administration.
The app, which went viral earlier this year, allowed users to lawfully share information about where they’ve seen ICE agents within a 5-mile radius of their location, and also share details of the clothing agents are wearing.
According to various media reports, Apple said it removed the apps after it was contacted by “law enforcement” about “safety risks” associated with ICEBlock and similar apps.
“We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi in an emailed statement. The Justice Department did not respond to questions regarding details of the apps ordered to be taken down, and how many were on its list.
It’s worth noting that ICEBlock does not collect or store any user data, which TechCrunch has confirmed by analyzing the app’s network traffic as part of a test.
The takedown comes in the wake of mounting tensions between the Trump administration and those who oppose the government’s hardline immigration agenda, especially after a shooting at an ICE detention center in Dallas last week resulted in two detainees being killed and one in the hospital. CNBC cited an FBI official claiming that the gunman had searched apps tracking the presence of ICE agents.
The U.S. government argues that apps like ICEBlock endanger federal workers by revealing their locations and likenesses. Officials have repeatedly threatened legal action against those using ICEBlock, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in July said officials were trying to see if CNN could be prosecuted for reporting about the app.
“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 said in the statement.
Bondi in July also warned ICEBlock’s developer, Joshua Aaron, that the Justice Department was “looking at him.”
Apple and the Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment. ICEBlock’s developers could not be reached for comment.
This story was updated to add a quote by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
