Apple Inc.’s App Store removed ICEBlock and other applications used to report and track sightings of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after the government raised concerns.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” the company said Thursday in a statement. “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.”
Before it was taken down, the tracking tool allowed users to anonymously report the location of officials who were carrying out immigration raids. Crowdsourced data was provided by ICEBlock users across the US as a means of warning neighbors about the agency’s presence.
The Department of Justice urged the iPhone maker to remove