ICEBlock App Developer Sues Trump Officials, Claims Apple Was Pressured to Remove App

[WarmWinterHat]

It's also possible for police to arrest that onlooker for obstructing law enforcement matters!

Announcing their presence is not obstructing, legally or physically, and you know that.

 

[bmark]

SWAT vehicles have and use sirens and lights, notifying those in the area of their presence. Try again.

Swat does not roll up to property with their sirens and lights blaring! Nice try.

 

[Huracan]

The public doesn't have a right to know where ICE is operating. Does the cop tell you where he is sitting for a speed trap?

Apple Maps tells me where there are speed traps. I don't need the cop to tell me. I also disagree with your statement. I think the public has a right to know what is happening in public spaces. For example, does someone have the right to record a video of ICE activity on a street, and then share that video with others and news organizations if they choose to do that? Are these secret operations performed by masked paramilitary forces, or law enforcement organizations that shouldn't fear the public recording them?

 

[surferfb]

Does your brother post his location before he does a drug raid or executes a warrant. If not then the comparison is not relevant to the discussion. The only relevant comparison would be him telling people at a border crossing that a dog will be used so they dump their drugs before coming in.

But ICE isn’t primarily going after drug dealers.

ICE Detains More Immigrants with No Criminal Record, Report Finds - Davis Vanguard

New federal data shows that ICE is increasingly detaining people with no criminal history, undermining the agency's stated focus on public safety and due process.

davisvanguard.org

If you don’t want to click the link: 5% have violent criminal convictions. 73% have no criminal conviction at all. I guess the, checks notes, Cato Institute is now part of the woke liberal resistance.

They’re going after college students, grandmothers, priests, and, while I don’t have a link for this one: a friend’s 62 year old uncle who was brought over when he was three and got deported to a country he’d literally never been to and whose entire family is legally in the states - all because the uncle happened to be born before all of his siblings.

I certainly feel safer knowing all those people were sent back “where they came from.”

 

[ArrayDecay]

Excellent. Love the app.

 

[noraa]

Unfortunately, this lawsuit isn’t gonna go anywhere for a plethora of reasons (some legit, a lot not so legit), but good for Joshua for taking a stand!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

This lawsuit isn’t gonna go anywhere for a plethora of reasons (same legit, a lot not so legit), but good for Joshua for taking a stand!

You’re likely right, or maybe it’ll be settled behind doors. Either way, though, I’m glad to see the word get out. Removing the app sure dropped my opinion of Apple a few pegs, along with the nonsense between Cook and Trump.

 

[ForkHandles]

Saddening to see just how many people condone masked, unidentified people ripping people off the streets without due process.

There’s always been ICE. They never had to wear masks before TACO.

This job can be done respectfully.

 

[CEmajr]

Good. Immigration laws need to be enforced in the US just like every other country. This is like alerting drug dealers when law enforcement is about to come and do a raid on their stash house.

 

[I7guy]

I wonder if ICEBLOCK can be arrested under the sedition act.

 

[bmark]

Interesting that Joshua Aaron's wife worked for the DOJ. She was dismissed and he tried to act like she had no involvement in the app. Whether she did or not doesn't matter.

 

[Mick_ag]

Some of those who support what Apple did are probably the kind of people who would happily welcome a tip-off that the IRS is investigating them so they can clean up their books.

 

[bmark]

Saddening to see just how many people condone masked, unidentified people ripping people off the streets without due process.

There’s always been ICE. They never had to wear masks before TACO.

This job can be done respectfully.

You mean like putting kids in cages under Obama?

 

[Gasu E.]

This seems to be a bit thin. Apple's Guideline 1.1.1 is pretty clear and someone asking Apple to enforce their own guidelines is not problematic. If anything, this weakens Apple's claims for control over the App Store. They let an app through that clearly violated their Guidelines.

This seems a stretch. I don't think that would hold up in a neutral court. Here's the text of the guideline:

• 1.1.1 Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or harm a targeted individual or group. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement.

 

[It’s always something]

You mean like putting kids in cages under Obama?

It is possible to condemn the outrageous acts of inhumanity by both sides, including Obama (among others) and Trump, who happens to be in charge of it *now*.

Now it’s your turn.

 

[krell100]

ICEBlock lawsuit: Trump admin bragged about demanding App Store removal

ICEBlock creator sues to protect apps that are crowd-sourcing ICE sightings.

arstechnica.com

 

[GregJohn]

The app should never have existed so… sorry!

 

[macfacts]

Yes they are, and for decades. If not hundreds of years. LEOs especially undercover or those whose lives are at risk will cover their faces so nut jobs dont attack them or their family. Mexico police almost exclusively mask up for the same reason.

I'm talking about USA; hint: it's because they don't have presidential immunity and what they are doing is illegal and don't want to goto jail when Trump isn't president anymore and can't get pardoned.

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

Would it be possible to have the same functionality in a WebApp? I've seen other apps that can't use the AppStore do this.

Great Scott! It’s almost like what existed before the App Store. Jobs was known for thinking Web Apps were the future.

 

[dcingie]

I’m curious who’s bankrolling the “appeal.”

 

[AngstyKylo]

Someone asking Apple to enforce their own guidelines is absolutely problematic if that "someone" is the US government. It's unconstitutional, in fact. And it isn't thin...speaking as a First Amendment attorney, this is easily the strongest case of government "jawboning" I've ever seen.

Also not sure if Apple reorganized the App Store guidelines, but here is 1.1.1:



If this is actually what Apple was citing, it's not remotely clear how it even applies here.

Apple of old wouldn't let the misinformation and 'hate' app X anywhere near the Appstore. Now they happily advertise on it and employ bots from south Asia to constantly post positively. I don't think they really care about guidelines anymore.

 

[CapitalIdea]

This seems to be a bit thin. Apple's Guideline 1.1.1 is pretty clear and someone asking Apple to enforce their own guidelines is not problematic. If anything, this weakens Apple's claims for control over the App Store. They let an app through that clearly violated their Guidelines.

You know what other apps can provide information about the location of law enforcement? iMessage. Camera. Phone. Facebook. Instagram. WhatsApp. Snapchat. Safari.

 

[It’s always something]

Apple of old wouldn't let the misinformation and 'hate' app X anywhere near the Appstore. Now they happily advertise on it and employ bots from south Asia to constantly post positively. I don't think they really care about guidelines anymore.

Apple also keeps TikTok on the App Store, despite the fact that it is still illegal (the ban hasn’t been repealed, and the law’s terms for sale were never met). They do this because they’ve been promised a get out of jail free card by Pam Bondi, without thought for future administrations, and because legality is clearly not that big a deal to them.

 

[sw1tcher]

Someone asking Apple to enforce their own guidelines is absolutely problematic if that "someone" is the US government. It's unconstitutional, in fact. And it isn't thin...speaking as a First Amendment attorney, this is easily the strongest case of government "jawboning" I've ever seen.

Also not sure if Apple reorganized the App Store guidelines, but here is 1.1.1:

If this is actually what Apple was citing, it's not remotely clear how it even applies here.

Seems like all this in bold

1.1 Objectionable Content
Apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy. Examples of such content include:

[*] 1.1.1 Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or harm a targeted individual or group. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement.


applies more to apps like Twitter/X, Truth Social, etc. than to ICEBlock.

For example:

Apple Pausing Advertising on X Following Latest Elon Musk Controversy

Apple is pausing all of its advertising on social network X, formerly known as Twitter, reports Axios. The decision comes following antisemitic remarks that Musk made on Wednesday. After advertisers fled from X after Musk's takeover of the social network, Apple continued to pay for ad spots, and...

www.macrumors.com

Apple is pausing all of its advertising on social network X, formerly known as Twitter, reports Axios. The decision comes following antisemitic remarks that Musk made on Wednesday.


Why hasn't Apple pulled those apps?

 

[tennisproha]

Well done. Glad this developers is fighting unconstitutional and illegal orders from the government. Lots of administration officials going to jail in the future.