Apple removes ICE tracking apps after Trump administration says they threaten officers

Source: CNN

Following a request from the US Department of Justice, Apple has removed ICEBlock and similar apps that allow people to alert others nearby about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area. President Donald Trump and his administration have railed against the apps for months, arguing that they pose a threat to ICE agents.

In an email to ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron, Apple wrote that “upon re-evaluation,” the app does not comply with its app store guidelines around “objectionable” and “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content,” according to a copy of the message viewed by CNN.

“Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates” the app store guidelines because “it’s purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group,” the email states.

Aaron has said the ICEBlock app was intended to help people avoid contact with ICE agents. FBI Director Kash Patel said last month that a man who shot at a Dallas ICE field office planned the attack for weeks and “searched apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents.” Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said in June, “An app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/03/tech/iceblock-apple-removed-trump