Apple Removes ICEBlock and Similar Apps Over Officer Safety

Apple removed ICEBlock and several similar apps from its App Store on Thursday after federal law enforcement raised concerns that the programs, which let users report the locations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, posed safety risks for officers conducting immigration operations. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice had asked Apple to take the app down, citing recent violence targeting immigration personnel.

Apple said it had removed ICEBlock and similar apps "based on information we have received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated" the service presented and that it seeks to keep the App Store "a safe and trusted place to discover apps." Bondi said in a statement that ICEBlock was "designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs" and that violence against law enforcement is "an intolerable red line." The company did not identify which law enforcement agencies contacted it.

ICEBlock, launched earlier this year and modeled on crowd-sourced navigation apps, allowed users to share anonymous, real-time reports of ICE activity within roughly a five-mile radius. The app’s creators said reports automatically deleted...