🔗 Share this article

Apple has pulled apps that allowed users to report sightings of agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The technology giant announced it had eliminated ICEBlock from its application marketplace after police notified them about potential "security concerns" connected with the application and "comparable applications".

Based on a declaration sent to news outlets, the top law enforcement official the Attorney General had "insisted on" the app's removal claiming it was "developed to put ICE officers at harm".

Its developer countered that such assertions were "patently false" and charged the company of "surrendering to an oppressive government".

Context of the Debated Software

The application is among multiple apps released recently in answer to heightened border control raids across the United States.

Opponents - including the developer of the app - allege the administration of abusing its powers and "bringing anxiety" to American communities.

The complimentary software operates by revealing the locations of enforcement agents. It has been acquired more than a 1 million instances in the US.

Security Issues

Nevertheless, officials contended it was being utilized to target ICE officers, with the federal investigators indicating that the individual who assaulted an immigration center in the city in recently - murdering two persons - had utilized related software to monitor the activities of officers and their transportation.

According to their announcement, Apple commented: "We developed the application marketplace to be a secure and reliable platform to find apps.

"According to intelligence we've received from authorities about the security concerns connected to ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the application marketplace."

Programmer's Position

But its developer, the programmer, disputed it posed a threat.

"ICEBlock is similar to crowd sourcing police locations, which all major navigation app, even Apple's own navigation software," he said.

"This represents free speech rights under the first amendment of the United States Constitution."

Mr Aaron - who has had experience in the technology sector for years - previously stated he designed the software out of concern over a surge in immigration raids.

"I definitely monitored pretty closely during the former government and then I heard the discourse during the campaign for the current," he explained.

"I started considering what was going to happen and what I could accomplish to keep people safe."

Official Response

The administration and federal law enforcement had condemned the application after it debuted in recent months and installations increased.