- Google and Apple must respond to calls to remove apps like ICEBlock
- The app, which can no longer be downloaded, came in handy during the shoot.
- According to ICEBlock, the application is no different from Apple Maps
The US House Homeland Security Committee is calling on Google and Apple to remove apps that allow users to track federal immigration agents.
mail The attacks, targeting CEOs Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook, specifically target the ICEBlock app, an app previously used to track US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that now “compromises the security of DHS personnel.”
Google and Apple have therefore been asked to provide information by December 12 at the latest on how they prevent these apps from accessing their platforms.
DHS is concerned about application tracking for ICE agents
The US government fears that users could anonymously track ICE and CBP agents to alert groups about law enforcement actions. Although no longer available, ICEBlock had over a million users before it came to town.
“One of these apps, ICEBlock, was used by an assassin to track the movements of ICE agents before a fatal shooting in September at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas,” the letter said.
Apple removed the app from the App Store because it feared its content could harm individuals or groups, and Google says the app was never available on the Play Store. The two also deleted other similar apps.
YES Work The ICEBlock website, which informs users that the app has been removed from the App Store, states: “ICEBlock is no different from the collaborative speed cameras that all major mapping apps, including Apple’s Maps app, implement as part of their core services. This is speech protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.”
“In recent years, ICE has been criticized for alleged civil rights violations and failure to respect constitutional principles and due process, making it important that communities remain informed of its activities,” the web and app developers continue.
Although the app will no longer be available for download starting December 8, 2025, it will still work on devices where it is already installed.