On the one hand, it is shameful to see Apple capitulate to the Trump administration again for more make-believe, spurious reasons that ICE agents were being targeted and doxxed. That's just patently absurd, but it gives them a pretext for its removal. And doubtless their "request" from Apple carried an implied threat. It always does.
On the other hand, though, some have argued that the app and others like it don't really do what they claim, and just create unnecessary headaches in real immigration cases with false or unverified information. Some have dismissively called them Activism Theatre, promising one thing but delivering very little.
Whatever their results, I'd like to think these sorts of apps were created with good intentions, and actually were meant to protect people from ICE and other agencies that are behaving as little more than paid government thugs.
Source: NBC News
Apple said Thursday it is removing an app that allows users to share information about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, which the head of ICE had criticized.
ICEBlock was removed from Apple’s App Store along with other apps like it, Apple said.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” Apple said. “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
Trump administration officials have complained about assaults and threats to ICE agents, among them that they face being “doxxed,” a term that means personal information is shared online.
ICEBlock does not involve the sharing of personal information about agents, but it notifies people within a 5-mile radius of sightings.
The app was launched in April, around three months after President Donald Trump was inaugurated following a campaign in which he vowed to crack down on people in the country without legal authorization. Downloads took off in June, the month immigration raids were launched in Los Angeles.
Fox Business, which first reported that the app had been pulled Thursday, reported that Justice Department officials asked Apple to remove ICEBlock at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Trump administration, Fox News, et al, are thrilled, of course.
