FIRST ON FOX: Apple dropped ICEBlock, a widely used tracking tool, from its App Store on Thursday in response to the Department of Justice raising concerns that the app put law enforcement officers’ safety at risk.
DOJ officials, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, asked Apple to take down ICEBlock from its App Store, a move that comes as Trump administration officials have claimed the tracking tool puts law enforcement officers in danger and helps shield illegal immigrants.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Bondi confirmed the department contacted the big tech giant to pull the app.
“We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Bondi said. “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed. This Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe.”
BONDI DECLARES ‘NEW ERA’ OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AS FEDERAL AGENTS DEPLOY TO ICE FACILITIES NATIONWIDE
Controversy surrounding ICE tracking apps intensified after last month’s deadly shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas, the latest in a series of attacks that appeared to be targeted at immigration enforcement officers.
Authorities said the suspect, Joshua Jahn, searched his phone for tracking apps, including ICEBlock, before opening fire on the facility from a rooftop. Authorities said Jahn killed one detainee and left two critically injured but that the immigrants were not his intended targets. One of the injured, a 32-year-old husband and father of four, died this week.
Marcos Charles, an acting director for ICE’s removal operations, said during a press conference that Jahn had intended to murder ICE employees and that attacks on them have skyrocketed.
“The evidence is clear that this was intended as an assault on ICE personnel who come to work everyday to do their job,” Charles said. “Violent rhetoric has led to an over 1000% increase in assaults on ICE officers and it has to stop.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Apple and ICEBlock for comment.
Apple said in a statement that it removed ICEBlock and other apps like it.
“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,” Apple said.
Joshua Aaron, the app’s creator, said he was “incredibly disappointed by Apple’s actions today.”
“Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” Aaron said. “Apple has claimed they received information from law enforcement that ICEBlock served to harm law enforcement officers. This is patently false.”
Aaron said ICEBlock functions like other mapping applications that use crowd sourcing for speed traps, citing Apple’s own map service as an example.
“We are determined to fight this with everything we have,” Aaron said. “Our mission has always been to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to reign down on the people of this nation.”
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