ICEBlock developer sues Trump administration over App Store removal

Dec 09, 2025 01:25 AM - 5 months ago 164152

Joshua Aaron, the developer of the ICEBlock app, is suing Attorney General Pam Bondi, US Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem, acting head of ICE Todd Lyons, White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan, and different national officials complete the Trump administration’s “unlawful threats” made against Aaron and its actions to unit Apple to propulsion the app from the App Store, which it did.

“We promised you we would conflict back. Well, today’s the time we make bully connected the promise,” according to a station from ICEBlock’s charismatic relationship connected Bluesky. Aaron, Apple, and the Department of Homeland Security, didn’t instantly respond to a petition for remark from The Verge. Department of Justice spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre says “no remark beyond the AG’s erstwhile statements.”

ICEBlock, which lets users anonymously study ICEBlock activity connected their phone, rocketed up the App Store’s charts earlier this twelvemonth pursuing sum of the app in precocious June by CNN and the Trump administration’s consequent response. According to the lawsuit, up of ICEBlock’s April release, Aaron had aft “multiple conversations” pinch Apple’s app reappraisal team, including its ineligible department, complete the quality of the app.

But by precocious March, “Apple confirmed that ICEBlock was suitable for hosting and publication connected its App Store,” the suit says. Ahead of CNN’s article, the app had astir 20,000 users, but gained complete 500,000 personification downloads “within little than a week of CNN’s story.”

However, successful October, Apple removed ICEBlock from the App Store, pinch Bondi saying in a connection to Fox News Digital that “we reached retired to Apple coming demanding they region the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so.” A time later, Google confirmed it removed a akin app from Google Play, though it told 404 Media that it didn’t person outreach from the DOJ. Later that month, Facebook removed an ICE-tracking page aft being contacted by the Trump administration.

Last week, Republicans connected the House Committee connected Homeland Security sent letters to Apple and Google complete apps for illustration ICEBlock, arguing that “these apps airs superior risks to the information of these officers, their families, and the information of their ongoing operations.” In September, Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN) introduced a bill that would make it a national crime to “maliciously people the individual accusation of ICE agents and different national rule enforcement officers successful ways that put them astatine consequence of targeted harassment, assault, and murder.”

Update, December 8th: Added consequence from the DOJ.

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