WASHINGTON: Apple said on Thursday that it had removed ICEBlock, the most popular ICE-tracking app, and other similar apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The app alerts users to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area. ICE has been a central part of Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda and its agents have regularly raided and arrested migrants. The Justice Department says the app could increase the risk of assault on US agents.
“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,” Apple said in an emailed statement.
Since Trump took office, ICE has raided multiple facilities with immigrants who are in the US illegally. The agency has also arrested visa holders and permanent US residents targeted by the Trump administration over pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Rights advocates have raised concerns that rights to free speech and due process are often being infringed as the government pushes ahead with its deportation drive.
Fox Business first reported the app’s removal on Thursday, citing a statement by US Attorney General Pam Bondi who said the Justice Department contacted Apple to pull the app on Thursday and that the company complied.
“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,” Bondi said in her statement to Fox Business.
Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have previously warned Joshua Aaron, the Texas-based creator of ICEBlock, that he is “not protected” under the Constitution and that they are looking at prosecuting him.
Apple’s actions may also lead to further scrutiny over the warm ties that tech firms have tried to build with the Trump administration during his second term.
Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration
https://arab.news/wwea9
Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration
- ICE at the center of Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda
- Rights advocates concerned that ICE’s actions can flout due process
Australia charges teenager over alleged death threats to Israeli President Herzog
- Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive standard security arrangements given to all visiting foreign leaders
SYDNEY: An Australian teenager has been charged for allegedly making online death threats against Israeli President Isaac Herzog, ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia.
The 19-year-old man allegedly made the threats on a social media platform last month “toward a foreign head of state and internationally protected person,” the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Police did not name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reported they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also reported the teenager allegedly made threats against US President Donald Trump.
He was refused police bail and will appear before a court in Sydney on Thursday. Police said a mobile phone and equipment for making or using drugs were seized during a search at a home in Sydney on Wednesday.
President Herzog is due to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit, following an invitation by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in December.
He is expected to meet survivors and the families of the victims of the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14 at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, which killed 15 people.
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities.
Police in the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, on Tuesday extended restrictions on protests in parts of the city ahead of Herzog’s visit, citing “significant animosity” from some groups.
The Palestine Action Group has called on supporters to attend a rally in Sydney on Monday, urging people to march to the New South Wales state parliament in what is described as a “mass, peaceful gathering.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive standard security arrangements given to all visiting foreign leaders.
“He will be a welcomed and honored guest,” Marles told ABC News on Thursday.
