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ICEBlock
Online map From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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ICEBlock is an online map application service that provides locations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the United States which is reported by app users. The app was developed by Joshua Aaron.
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History
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In April 2025, in response to Donald Trump's second term as president and his immigration policy, Joshua Aaron began developing ICEBlock.[1] The app garnered attention amid protests in Los Angeles in June. By that month, Aaron said that the app had twenty thousand users, primarily in Los Angeles.[1] After receiving media attention from Trump officials following a CNN report on the app, ICEBlock became the third-most downloaded free app in the App Store[2] and the most downloaded free social networking app.[3] Aaron told NBC News that ICEBlock had approximately 95,200 users by the beginning of July.[4]
The app's listing was removed from the Apple App Store after the Department of Justice, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanded its removal.[5][6] In a statement, Bondi said, "We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so."[7] Apple stated it removed the app "based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock."[8] A similar app for IOS and Google's Android Playstore, Red Dot, was removed from both app stores a few weeks.[9] Aaron criticized the move as "capitulating to an authoritarian regime," and Kate Ruane of the Center for Democracy and Technology said the removal should be viewed as part of the Trump administration's attempts to weaken free speech.[10]
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Features and functionality
ICEBlock allows users to report the location of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and provide optional details about the official, with a warning stating, "Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only. It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement."[1] Users are not allowed to report more than one sighting every five minutes, and reported sightings are visible within a five-mile radius, disappearing after four hours. After a sighting is reported, those in a nearby radius are notified.[11] ICEBlock does not collect personal data; it is only available on iOS, as Aaron believes Android would require an app to collect push notification information that could put users at greater risk.[1] The app is available in fourteen languages, including Arabic, Hindi, Nepali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.[12][11]
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Slate praised ICEBlock as "a welcome indicator that grassroots momentum for immigration advocacy hasn't let up."[11] Cooper Quintin, a security engineer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, analyzed the network traffic of ICEBlock and confirmed that individual reports are anonymous, and the app does not actively collect the geolocation or device information of its users.[13]
Aaron's claims that an Android version of the app would de-anonymize users to a greater extent than iOS have been disputed by the development team of GrapheneOS.[14] Both The Verge and cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier expressed doubts about some of the privacy claims made by the app.[15][16] Micah Lee, a journalist involved in the handling of the Snowden leaks, noted multiple transparency issues with ICEBlock, including unfounded privacy claims, a refusal to make the app open source or allow third-party audits of the source code, and no method for handling false positives.[17]
In response to CNN's reporting on ICEBlock, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that she was in communication with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the possibility of prosecuting CNN over its article.[18] Tom Homan, the executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations, and Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, broadly criticized CNN for reporting on the app.[19][20] Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Aaron to "watch out", and alleged that it could cause federal agents to be injured,[21] although ICEBlock warns users against using the app for "inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement".[1] According to Aaron, ICEBlock's legality has been attested to by several lawyers.[11] Aaron's full legal name and home address was published online by right-wing figures on X over the app.[20]
Joshua Aaron's wife, Carolyn Feinstein, who worked for the DOJ in a division that handled bankruptcy, was dismissed – an act which Aaron said was in retaliation against him as he individually could not be attacked being uninvolved in any illegal acts. Aaron alleges that she had no involvement in the development or operation of the ICEBlock app. She was accused of lack of candor in the termination letter, with the app itself not being mentioned in it. When journalists contacted the DOJ, a prepared statement was sent out stating that she was endangering the lives of ICE agents.[22]
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See also
- Waze – an app that provides real-time information on traffic conditions and police speed enforcement activity, technically similar to ICEBlock but for different purposes
References
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External links
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