Technology giant Apple has confirmed the removal of sightings of US immigration officials and the crowdsourcing app that collects similar software from the App Store, following pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
As of Friday, Ice Blocks are no longer available in the app store and users can download the software.
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“I just received a message from Apple’s app review that #IceBlock was removed from the App Store due to “offensive content,” the app’s social media team said in a post on the platform’s BlueSky. “What we can imagine is that this is due to pressure from Trump’s administrators. We’ll respond and fight this!”
The move is a rare example of the app being removed due to requests from the US government, raising concerns about pressure on private companies and restrictions on freedom of speech.
IceBlock is a free iPhone only app that allows users to anonymously report and track immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) activities.
It was developed in April in response to President Trump’s hard-hit immigration agenda and recent rise in ice arrests.
The ice has been a central part of Trump’s pushing for mass deportation since he took office in his second term. The agents regularly raid their workplaces, homes and courts to arrest immigrants, and rights advocates say that freedom of speech and legitimate processes are often violated by the government’s deportation drive.
The decision to remove the ice block app from Apple’s platform also sheds light on the growing relationship between major tech companies and the Trump administration. Many companies, including iPhone makers, are trying to avoid conflicts with the White House who are not embarrassed to issue threats to certain companies, particularly tariff threats.
“We have removed similar apps from the App Store based on information we received from law enforcement regarding safety risks related to ice blocks,” Apple said in an email.
Fox Business first reported the app’s removal on Thursday, citing a statement from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. He said the Justice Department contacted Apple and the company complied with requests to pull the app.
“Ice blocks are designed to put ice agents at risk just for their work, and violence against law enforcement is an unbearable red line that cannot be crossed,” Bondy told Fox Business.
Joshua Aaron, creator of Texas-based Ice Block, challenged its characterization and criticised Apple’s decision.
“I am extremely disappointed with Apple’s actions today. Suspension to the authoritarian regime is by no means the right move,” Aaron told Reuters.
David Green, director of civil liberties for the digital rights group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), said the move highlighted a pattern of government overreach.
“Not surprising. They have been threatening this for a while and hopefully we will see more of this rewarding presence and unconstitutional behavior going forward,” Green told Al Jazeera.
The Trump administration “has little or no respect for the rule of law,” Green explained, noting that app activities are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution, which expresses its right to free speech.
He also argued that the public should know how governments operate, especially when it comes to sensitive issues like immigration. However, Green added that the Trump administration “has never sincerely cared about the free flow of information.”
“To publish truthful information on issues of public interest deserves the highest level of First Amendment Protection, and the administration of government and the identity of who the operator is certainly a high public interest issue,” Green said.
‘be careful’
But Bondi has previously argued that Aaron is “unprotected” under the Constitution and that they are considering prosecuting him, warning him to “take care.”
Private surveillance for federal immigration agents has become more aggressive in recent months as activists try to protect their communities from aggressive enforcement by ice agents.
Since Trump took office, ICE has stepped up its enforcement efforts, and the bill passed in July guaranteed $75 billion in new funding by 2029.
The agency also arrested visa holders and permanent US residents who were targeted by the Trump administration over defending Palestinian descent.
In one well-known case, Mahmoud Khalil, a US resident of Palestinian origin, was arrested after serving as a spokesman for an anti-war protest at Columbia University.
Although Halil was released from detention in June, he continues to face deportation procedures. In September, a Louisiana immigrant judge ordered deportation, but Halil appealed for 30 days.
Legal experts say private surveillance of ice is largely protected under the US Constitution, unless observers try to interfere with law enforcement activities.
Apple removed more than 1,700 apps from the App Store in 2024 in response to government requests, but the majority of these requests (over 1,300) came from China.
Russia submitted its second-highest number of requests at 171, followed by South Korea at 79.
For the past three years, the US has not normally been one of the countries where apps have been removed due to government requests, according to the company’s transparency report.
Most of Apple’s iPhones are manufactured in China, and the company is particularly sensitive to tariff policies.
In recent months, the White House has raised potential taxes on importing chips used in Apple devices such as iPhones and Mac computers.
Apple removes thousands of apps from the App Store every year, including over 82,500 in 2024 for other reasons, including design-related issues, fraud, and intellectual property infringement. Apple’s shares fell by fractions on Friday.
