"Apple has taken down an app that uses crowdsourcing to flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents after coming under pressure from the Trump administration. ICEBlock, a free iPhone-only app that lets users anonymously report and monitor activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, was no longer available on Apple's App Store as of Friday. The developer had confirmed its removal on Thursday evening."
"Apple said it removed apps like ICEBlock due to the potential for risks that were raised by law enforcement. "We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps," the company said in a statement. "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.""
""We just received a message from Apple's App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to "objectionable content'," ICEBlock said in a social media post. "The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and we'll fight this!" The developer said last month that it had more than 1 million users."
Apple removed ICEBlock, an iPhone-only app that crowdsourced anonymous reports and monitoring of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, from its App Store after law-enforcement officials raised safety concerns and the U.S. Attorney General requested its removal. Apple said information received from law enforcement indicated potential risks and that it removed ICEBlock and similar apps to keep the App Store a safe, trusted place. The developer reported more than one million users and said existing downloads should still function. Officials warned the app could put ICE agents at risk and linked searches for such apps to a Dallas attack on an ICE facility.
Read at Fast Company
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