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2h ago

Apple Pulls ICEBlock and Similar Apps After DOJ Safety Warning

Apple says law-enforcement warnings about risks to ICE officers prompted the takedown following scrutiny tied to a Dallas shooting.

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View of an Apple logo at an Apple store in Paris, France, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
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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}

Overview

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department contacted Apple on Thursday to demand removal, and the company complied.
  • Apple said it removed ICEBlock and other ICE-tracking tools based on law-enforcement information; an email to the developer cited violations for “objectionable” content.
  • ICEBlock let users pin sightings that triggered alerts within roughly five miles, and tracking firms and the developer reported downloads topping one million.
  • Officials say a Dallas gunman searched for tracking apps before attacking an ICE facility on Sept. 24, a case cited in calls to take the apps down.
  • Developer Joshua Aaron called the decision authoritarian, vowed to fight it, and administration figures have floated legal action against the app’s creator and media coverage.