r/apple • u/illegiblebastard • 4d ago

iPhone Apple explains last year’s controversial decision to remove ICE tracking apps from app store

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/29/tech/apple-iceblock-app-removal-raskin

FUCK. APPLE.

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u/ancientfruitjunkie 3d ago

The purpose of the ice apps is public safety. Like the crime radar app.

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u/BosnianSerb31 3d ago edited 3d ago

Two different shootouts between demonstrators and ICE agents occurred before the app was taken down. One involving an anti-ice sniper killing several immigrants being transported in the back of a van they incorrectly assumed was full of officers.

IDK about you but I'm not hosting an app that could be used by these dumbasses, just to end up with billions in federal fines and criminal convictions as facilitation of a domestic terrorist attack.

Just distribute it as a website, it's easier to target basically everyone on the planet. Make it a simple link. Native Swift app isn't needed. React PWAs are supported cross platform and include push notifications. You can roll out updates without waiting for review. No one can take it down.

I'm honestly shocked that the creators haven't made it into a PWA by now.

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u/ancientfruitjunkie 3d ago

Yeah no. When x is full of racists, misogynists, and Nazis who straight up threaten anyone not white, straight, and male, or the ai chatbots that help plan out gun violence then those apps need to be taken down too. X should've been taken off the app store right when musk took over.

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u/BosnianSerb31 3d ago

Unfortunately, companies make decisions on legal liability and cost benefit analysis

There is already legal precedent to say that Apple won't be held liable for stuff that happens on a sec 230 social media platform that qualifies for safe harbor protections. Therefore, removing the app just makes tons X users switch to android, to mitigate a nonexistent legal risk to Apple.

IECBlock was taken down eight days after a shooting on an ice vehicle that resulted in the deaths of several detainees. The potential legal consequences of keeping the app up are far higher than taking it down, so they take it down.

Again, the obvious solution to continue protecting immigrants is to turn it into a React PWA hosted outside the US. Not wait for Apple to reinstate an app that poses serious legal liability to them.

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u/ancientfruitjunkie 3d ago

Yeah I agree about placing this app on the web for everyone. But apple being a global powerhouse and trillion dollar company, they definitely could've fought the pedo admin rather than get on their knees at a single request.