Africa-Press – Angola. Apple has pulled apps that let users flag sightings of officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The tech giant said it had removed ICEBlock from its App Store after law enforcement made it aware of “safety risks” associated with it and “similar apps”.
Another app called ICE Immigration Alerts has been removed from the App Store and Google Play. A third, Coqui, has also been taken down from Google Play.
In a statement US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had “demanded” the removal of ICEBlock saying it was “designed to put ICE agents at risk”.
The app’s creator contacted BBC Verify after receiving an email informing him of the removal and accused Apple of “capitulating to an authoritarian regime.”
The decision means existing users of ICEBlock can continue to use the app but it cannot be newly downloaded.
A number of apps were released this year in response to President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and an upsurge in ICE raids.
Critics – such as the creator of ICEBlock – accuse the government of abusing its powers and “bringing terror” to US streets.
The free app works by allowing users to report sightings of ICE officers. It has been downloaded more than a million times in the US.
However, Bondi argued it was being used to target ICE officers. The FBI says the man who targeted an ICE facility in Dallas in September – killing two detainees – had used similar apps to track the movements of agents and their vehicles.
In a statement Apple said: “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps.
“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.”
But its creator, Joshua Aaron, denied it posed a threat.
“ICEBlock is no different from crowd sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple’s own Maps app,” he said.
“This is protected speech under the first amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Can the US government ban apps that track ICE agents?
Mr Aaron – who has worked in the tech industry for years – previously told BBC Verify he developed the app out of concern over a spike in immigration raids.
“I certainly watched pretty closely during Trump’s first administration and then I listened to the rhetoric during the campaign for the second,” he said.
“My brain started firing on what was going to happen and what I could do to keep people safe.”
The White House and FBI had criticised the app after it launched in April and downloads rose.
In a statement to the BBC a spokesperson for the Department for Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said:
“ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger as they go after terrorists, vicious gangs and violent criminal rings.”
“But, of course, the media spins this correct decision for Apple to remove these apps as them caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed and stopping law enforcement from getting killed,” she added.
The creator of the app ICE Immigration Alerts, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that it was pulled from Apple and Google’s app platforms within hours of each other.
They said Apple had informed them the app was taken down at the request of “law enforcement” over similar concerns it could be used to harm officers.
Separately, Google allegedly told them the app had been removed over concern it would “undermine user trust in the Google Play ecosystem”.
“Apple did not offer an opportunity to appeal the decision,” said the app’s developer, who is based in New Zealand. “Google gave me seven days to appeal but without any clear explanation it is difficult to appeal, and I don’t want to risk them further affecting my account.”
“It is a somewhat chilling commentary on free speech,” they added. “No dangerous incidents have ever occurred as far as I know. It’s just about controlling the information unfortunately.”
The BBC has approached Apple for comment.
In a statement, Google confirmed it had removed “similar apps” to ICEBlock for “violations of [its] policies.” It did not say which apps, or the nature of the violations.
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