Apple has deleted an application used to follow immigration and customs application (ICE) agents of its app store, the developer saying in an article on social networks that he had been informed by the technology company that his Iceblock application had been deleted due to the “reprehensible content”.
The application, which is free, is based on crowdsourcing to follow ice agents, the company noting that it allows people to report the observations of ice activities “within a 5 miles radius of your current location”. The application has crossed 1 million downloads a month ago, the developer said. In his article on social networks, the developer of the Block Ice blamed “the pressure of the Trump administrator”. for the decision.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and reliable place to discover applications,” said Apple in a statement. “Based on the information we have received from security forces on the security risks associated with Iceblock, we have deleted it and the similar applications of the App Store.”
In a comment to CBS News, the Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that the Ministry of Justice had asked Apple to withdraw the application.
“We contacted Apple today by asking that they withdraw the Iceblock application from their App Store – and Apple did it,” said Bondi. “Iceblock is designed to endanger ice agents only to do their job, and violence against the police is an intolerable red line which cannot be crossed. This Ministry of Justice will continue to do everything possible to protect our courageous federal agents of application of the law, who risk their life every day to ensure the safety of the Americans.”
Iceblock is one of the many applications designed to allow users to follow and anonymously report immigration agents. Another tool of this type, called coqui, was still available on the App Store on Friday morning. Some migrants are rely on applications To alert them to the location of ice agents to avoid arrest in the middle of the rise of the Trump administration of expulsion activities.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Security, told CBS News that applications following ice agents “put the lives of men and women of the application of laws in danger as terrorists, vicious gangs and violent criminal rings”.
She added: “But, of course, the media turn this correct decision for Apple to withdraw these applications while they endeavor to pressure instead of further preventing blood out and preventing the application of the law from being killed.”
In July, the assistant director of ICE, Madison Sheahan, told CBS News that she thought that these applications are dangerous and could be used to locate and ambushed ice agents.
“There is always a form of freedom of expression and many things in technology, and we understand that and respect this, but where it crosses a line, it is when it becomes dangerous, not only for ice officers …”, said Sheahan at the time. She added: “If this hinders the efforts to apply the law, this is where this line also comes into play.”
The officials said last month that a shooter who had opened fire on an immigration and customs application center in Dallas had sought applications that followed the presence of glacial agents.
– With Scott MacFarlane report.
contributed to this report.
