ICEBlock Founder Slams Apple for Taking it Down: 'Capitulating to an Authoritarian Regime'

Joshua Aaron, the developer of ICEBlock, criticized Apple on Thursday after the company removed his app from the App Store at the request of the Department of Justice.

"I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today," Aaron told 404 Media. "Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move". 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"

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"

Aaron shared with 404 Media the email he received from Apple, which cited App Store rules against "mean-spirited content" and said law enforcement provided information showing the app could be used "to harm such officers individually or as a group."

Aaron rejected that connection, saying that the information "is patently false." He described ICEBlock as a tool for community safety, not a threat to officers. "We are determined to fight this with everything we have," he added. "Our mission has always been to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to reign down on the people of this nation. We will not be deterred. We will not stop."

The removal follows heightened scrutiny of ICEBlock after last month's shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, as authorities claimed the suspect searched his phone for tracking apps before opening fire. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt linked the deadly shooting directly to a CNN segment aired in July about the app, saying "the liberal media is complicit in the increased threats and violence against ICE."