ICEBlock developer 'on the case' after Apple removes app from store

Developer describes Apple's explanation as 'disingenuous'

ICEBlock creator and developer Joshua Aaron is not ruling out legal action after his app was removed from Apple's App Store.

The developer of ICEBlock, an iPhone app that tracks the movements of US immigration agents, said his legal team is "on the case" after Apple pulled the programme after pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration.

Joshua Aaron told The National that the app, which has been downloaded more than one million times, is still operational for those who have it on their phones.

"We are going to fight this with everything we've got," Mr Aaron said, days after Apple pulled the app.

"ICEBlock still works as long you have it installed. Do not delete it from your iPhone nor reset your iPhone where apps would need to be downloaded from the App Store because you will lose access to it."

Apple's decision to pull ICEBlock is the latest controversy surrounding the app, which was launched amid the Trump administration's bolstering of ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.

Critics have accused ICE agents of arresting and deporting people with little concern for their legal rights, including due process.

Introduced in April, ICEBlock allowed users to report and track sightings of US immigration agents.

The app quickly climbed near the top of the Apple App Store downloads, but the Trump administration has claimed that ICEBlock endangers agents. Mr Aaron has insisted that ICEBlock discourages any sort of misuse.

"This app is for information and notification purposes only," ICEBlock's help section read. "It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement."

ICEBlock, an app developed by Joshua Aaron, makes it possible to alert others about where ICE agents are appearing in the US. Photo: Joshua Aaron

Mr Aaron told The National that Trump administration officials have spent several months pressuring Apple and Google to remove apps like ICEBlock.

"Not only did Apple take it off the App Store, but Google decided they too were going to remove all law-enforcement tracking apps from the Google Play Store," he said.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi recently said Apple and Google had been approached.

"I will tell you that they were co-operative," Ms Bondi said during recent testimony before Congress.

David Greene, civil liberties director and senior staff lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the Trump White House's aggressive pursuit of the app could be unconstitutional.

"This US administration has shown little to no regard for the rule of law and has never sincerely cared about the free flow of information," he said.

He said that apps such as ICEBlock that publish information of public interest are "worthy of the highest level of First Amendment protection".

Why did Apple remove ICEBlock?

The precise details of why Apple decided to remove the app are unclear.

During a speech at the Hackers of Planet Earth symposium in August, Mr Aaron spoke of how his app was eventually approved by the company.

"I will tell you that when the app was first submitted to the App Store, it was initially denied, and it wasn't denied for any other reason than Apple went, 'I don't know what to do with this, because nothing has ever been done like this before'," he said.

Mr Aaron said he had been in discussion with Apple's team for about three weeks before it approved ICEBlock for the App Store, addressing concerns about whether or not he planned to monetise the app and better explaining the technical details behind it.

"Once I explained it to them, they got it. Their legal looked into everything and said, 'No, this is absolutely protected speech, we're good, and we're going to sign off and go ahead with this," he said, adding he didn't think Apple would change course and remove the app.

That all changed in early October, however.

Apple emailed Mr Aaron and said that the company had re-evaluated ICEBlock, ultimately deciding that it violates Apple guidelines.

The re-evaluation of the app, based on the email seen by The National, was prompted by "information provided to Apple by law enforcement".

In an email to ICEBlock's developer, Apple explained its rationale for pulling the app from its App Store.

"Your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group," the letter from Apple reads.

Mr Aaron said Apple was caving to "patently false" information from the Trump White House.

He said that Apple's own Maps app allows for users to report on police activity such as speed traps.

Apple has not yet responded to The National's requests for comment, but its website does show the feature for Maps that Mr Aaron described.

"With iOS 14.5 and later, you can report incidents — like accidents, hazards, speed checks or roadwork — in the Maps app on your iPhone," an Apple support page reads.

Mr Aaron said: "The Apple Maps app does literally the exact same thing that ICEBlock did."

Will ICEBlock users be prosecuted?

The Trump administration has threatened to prosecute media outlets for reporting on ICEBlock, leading to worries about action being taken against users. ICEBlock's design, however, might make that difficult if not impossible.

"The last thing I would want is for them to subpoena the database and be able to identify each individual who has installed the app or even worse, target those who report a sighting," Mr Aaron told the Hope symposium.

He said ICEBlock was created with user anonymity in mind, storing "very little data in the database", while also ensuring no user identifiable information metrics would be kept.

ICEBlock's developer says that Apple's Maps app allows for similar reporting on law enforcement activity.

"If the government were to issue a subpoena and we were forced to turn over the database records, it would be a complete waste of their time," he added.

Mr Aaron said that he is going to continue trying to ensure his app's survival.

"I can't say anything more at the moment," he said.

After ICEBlock made its debut, Mr Aaron said that he had obtained legal counsel.

"I've been extremely fortunate that some high-powered attorneys have wanted to take this case on," he said. "I have a full, pro bono legal team of some of the finest legal minds I've ever come across."