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9h ago

ICEBlock Developer Sues Trump Officials Over Apple App Takedown

The D.C. lawsuit claims unconstitutional pressure on Apple that chilled protected speech, with a request for an injunction.

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People hold banners as they gather near a General Services Administration (GSA) parking lot to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from leaving for an immigration raid in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., November 29, 2025. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo
FILE - A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (L) and US Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) listen to US President Donald Trump speak as he signs an order sending National Guard to Memphis in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2025. US President Donald Trump said on September 15 he was signing an order sending a federal "task force" including National Guard troops to the city of Memphis, in the latest stage of his crime crackdown that critics have branded authoritarian. "The effort will include the National Guard as well as the FBI" and other federal agencies, Trump told reporters at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, adding that it was "very important because of the crime that's going on."

Overview

  • Developer Joshua Aaron filed suit naming Attorney General Pam Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE chief Todd Lyons, and White House border adviser Tom Homan, alleging First Amendment violations.
  • Apple removed ICEBlock in October after DOJ outreach, telling the developer it acted on law-enforcement information that the app could be used to harm officers.
  • ICEBlock had surpassed one million users before delisting; existing installations still function, but new downloads remain blocked and Apple is not a defendant in the case.
  • The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, including protection from prosecution and an order barring officials from pressuring platforms to remove similar apps.
  • House Homeland Security leaders have demanded briefings from Apple and Google by Dec. 12 on their handling of ICE-tracking apps, as officials’ claims linking such apps to a Dallas shooting remain unproven.