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43m ago

Apple Pulls ICE-Tracking Apps After Justice Department Request

Apple said it acted on law-enforcement warnings about safety risks following officials’ claims a Dallas shooting suspect searched for tracking apps.

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View of an Apple logo at an Apple store in Paris, France, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
Federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection walk along West Wacker Drive in the Loop, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP){p}{/p}
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Overview

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department contacted Apple on Thursday to demand ICEBlock’s removal, and the company complied.
  • Apple said it removed ICEBlock and other similar apps based on information from law enforcement about threats to officer safety.
  • Authorities have linked the Sept. 24 Dallas ICE facility shooting to the suspect’s searches for tracking tools, and ICE leaders warned such apps endanger agents.
  • ICEBlock used crowd-sourced pins to flag ICE activity and notify users within roughly a five-mile radius, and reports put downloads at about 1.1 million.
  • Developer Joshua Aaron condemned the takedown and vowed to fight it, while rights advocates and legal experts questioned the implications for speech and press freedoms.