Apple has pulled apps that let users flag sightings of officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The tech giant told the BBC it had removed ICEBlock from its App Store after law enforcement made it aware of “safety risks” associated with it and “similar apps”.
According to a statement sent to Fox News Digital, US Attorney General Pam Bondi had “demanded” the app’s removal saying it was “designed to put ICE officers at risk”.
The app’s creator said such claims were “patently false” and accused Apple of “capitulating to an authoritarian regime.”
ICEBlock is among a number of apps released this year in response to President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and an upsurge in ICE raids.
Critics – such as the creator of ICEBlock – accuse the government of abusing its powers and “bringing terror” to US streets.
The free app works by showing the movements of immigration officers. It has been downloaded more than a million times in the US.
However, Bondi argued it was being used to target ICE officers, with the FBI saying the man who targeted an ICE facility in Dallas in September – killing two detainees – had used similar apps to track the movements of agents and their vehicles
In a statement Apple said: “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.”
But its creator, Joshua Aaron, denied it posed a threat.
“ICEBlock is no different from crowd sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple’s own Maps app,” he said.
“This is protected speech under the first amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Mr Aaron – who has worked in the tech industry for years – previously told BBC Verify he developed the app out of concern over a spike in immigration raids.
“I certainly watched pretty closely during Trump’s first administration and then I listened to the rhetoric during the campaign for the second,” he said.
“My brain started firing on what was going to happen and what I could do to keep people safe.”
The White House and FBI had criticised the app after it launched in April and downloads rose.
By BBC News
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