Google Also Takes Down App To Track ICE Agents From Play Store: 'Vulnerable Group'

Google has removed an app used to track ICE agents while conducting raids across the U.S., according to a new report.

The company told 404 Media that removed Red Dot from the Play Store, noting it "removed apps that share the location of what it describes as a vulnerable group after a recent violent act against them connected to this sort of app."

The decision took place just a few days Apple removed ICEBlock, an app used with similar purposes. Joshua Aaron, the app's developer, slammed the company, saying he was "incredibly disappointed."

"Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move," Aaron said. He also argued that ICEBlock "is no different from crowdsourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple's own Maps app, implements as part of its core services." He called the app "protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on Thursday that her department pressed Apple to act: "ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed. This Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe," she said.

Apple confirmed it removed ICEBlock and similar apps: "We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. 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," the company said.

Google, on its end, told 404 Media that it didn't receive warnings from the DOJ, but that it "bans apps with a high risk of abuse."