In letters sent on Friday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple head Tim Cook, committee leaders singled out ICEBlock, an app previously used to monitor US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, saying apps hosted on their app stores risk “jeopardising the safety of DHS personnel”
The House Committee on Homeland Security has asked tech giants Google and Apple to list the steps they have taken to remove apps that allow users to track federal immigration officers.
In letters sent on Friday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple head Tim Cook, committee leaders singled out ICEBlock, an app previously used to monitor US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, saying apps hosted on their app stores risk “jeopardising the safety of DHS personnel.” Lawmakers requested a briefing by December 12.
The letters urged Google and Apple to ensure these apps cannot be used to target officers or obstruct lawful immigration enforcement.
The committee noted that while free speech is protected, it does not extend to advocacy that incites imminent lawless action, referencing a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Google said in October that ICEBlock was never available in its Play Store, adding that similar apps tracking the movement of officials have been removed from the platform. Meanwhile, Apple also ensured that ICEBlock and related apps have been removed from the App Store.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the apps “put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs,” while Apple cited violations of its policies against content that could harm individuals or groups. The removals followed a surge in downloads of ICEBlock, which had more than a million users before being pulled.
The letters follow concerns that these tools allow users to anonymously report and track the movements of federal agents, including those from ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
Trump administration officials had fiercely criticised the apps as endangering officers, particularly following a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas in September. They argued that the suspected shooter had used such an app before he opened fire at the facility.
With inputs from agencies
End of Article
