What was ICEBlock? Details to know as Apple removes the tracking app

Apple has reportedly axed ICEBlock and similar apps at the behest of the US Department of Justice.

Per CNN, the apps would allow people to alert those nearby about ICE agent sightings in the vicinity. President Trump and his administration have reportedly been pushing back on the apps for months, contending that they are perilous for ICE agents.

According to its official website,

"ICEBlock is an innovative, completely anonymous crowdsourced platform that allows users to report Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity with just two taps on their phone. In recent years, ICE has faced criticism for alleged civil rights abuses and failures to adhere to constitutional principles and due process, making it crucial for communities to stay informed about its operations."

Everything we know about ICEBlock as creator Joshua Aarons vows to push back on an "authoritarian regime": Read more

Apple penned a letter to ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron, noting that “upon re-evaluation,” the app infringes on its app store guidelines about “objectionable” and “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content."

“Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates” the app store guidelines because “it’s purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group,” the email states.

BBC has reported that another app, Coqui, has also been taken down from Google Play. In a statement, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she personally rallied to have ICEblock taken down. As of this writing, existing users of the app can continue to use it, though it cannot be downloaded again.

Several similar apps were launched this year in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and the increase in ICE raids. Per BBC, Aaron has accused the government of "bringing terror" to the country and abusing its powers.

In a statement, Apple said:

"We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. 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."

Aaron argued that it was relatively safe:

"ICEBlock is no different from crowd sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple's own Maps app," he said. "This is protected speech under the first amendment of the United States Constitution."

He also told BBC that he created the app out of fear of the surge in immigration raids.

"I certainly watched pretty closely during Trump's first administration and then I listened to the rhetoric during the campaign for the second," he said. "My brain started firing on what was going to happen and what I could do to keep people safe."

Per NPR, he has since vowed to push back on his app being booted:

"Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move," Aaron said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Department for Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, told the BBC in a statement:

"ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger as they go after terrorists, vicious gangs and violent criminal rings. But, of course, the media spins this correct decision for Apple to remove these apps as them caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed and stopping law enforcement from getting killed."

Per NPR, Kate Ruane, Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project, slammed the government's moves, noting that it should be viewed as stifling free expression.

"When companies agree to the administration's demands in order to achieve some other goal, whether it be avoiding tariffs or getting merger approval, they send a message to others that it's ok to do the same," Ruane said. "What's worse, they erode the promise of the First Amendment for all of us at the same time."

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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