Apple removes ICEBlock and similar apps: Everything we know about the controversy
-
BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 25: A young woman, who said she did not mind being photographed, wears headphones and holds a smartphone as she walk past an Apple Store on March 25, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. The European Commission is launching an investigation into Apple, Meta (the parent company of Facebook) and Alphabet (the parent company of Google) over whether the companies violate the new EU Digital Markets Act. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Apple has removed ICEBlock and similar apps from its devices. The technology company informed the app creator Joshua Aaron in an email dated October 3, 2025, that ICEBlock, an app that allows people to alert others of the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in their area, violated the App Store regulations. Apple wrote:
“Upon re-evaluation the app does not comply with its app store guidelines around “objectionable” and “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content.”
Apple’s decision follows a request by the US Department of Justice for the app’s removal.
Apple’s statement continued:
"Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates the app store guidelines 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.”
Pam Bondi had condemned the ICEBlock app launched in April 2025 as one that puts ICE agents at risk for doing their jobs.
The US Attorney General added that violence against law enforcement officers was a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
In a statement, Apple emphasized that it created the App Store to be a safe space for app discovery and, in line with that policy, has removed ICEBlock and similar apps from the store.
We are determined to fight this with everything we have,” Joshua Aaron says, following Apple’s removal of ICEBlock from its App Store
ICEBlock’s creator revealed to CNN that he was “incredibly disappointed” by Apple’s decision to remove the ICE-tracking app from its App Store.
Aaron, who has worked in the tech industry for two decades, revealed in June 2025 that he created ICEBlock after a CNN poll showed that 52% Americans believed President Donald Trump had gone too far with his ICE policies.
Aaron labeled allegations that his app was posing a security threat to ICE officers as false. He compared ICEBlock to other mapping applications, including Apple’s Maps app:
"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 added that the app was protected under the law and he would fight Apple’s decision:
"This is protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. We are determined to fight this with everything we have.”
Continue reading PRIMETIMER for more informative content!
TOPICS: ICE immigration