Overview
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she demanded Apple remove ICEBlock on Thursday and the company complied that day.
- Apple told developer Joshua Aaron the app violated App Store guidelines by providing officer location information that could be used to harm law enforcement.
- ICEBlock, launched in April, amassed over 1 million downloads and sent five-mile-radius alerts that auto-deleted after several hours.
- Officials pointed to a recent Dallas ICE facility shooting, with the FBI saying the gunman had searched for ICE-tracking apps, though no specific app was named.
- Aaron denies the app was intended to endanger officers, vows to fight the removal as protected speech, and civil-liberties experts criticize the move as government pressure on platform moderation.