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Apple said on Thursday that it had removed ICEBlock and other similar ICE-tracking apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump's administration, in a rare instance of apps being taken down due to a U.S. federal government demand.
Alphabet's Google also removed similar apps on Thursday for policy violations, but the company said it was not approached by the Justice Department before taking the action.
The app alerts users to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area, which the Justice Department says could increase the risk of assault on U.S. agents.
[...] Apple removed more than 1,700 apps from its App Store in 2024 in response to government demands, but the vast majority — more than 1,300 — came from China, followed by Russia with 171 and South Korea with 79.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 08, @05:44PM
Obedience to an order is worse than the order itself.
The only problem with Trump is that nobody will turn their back
And most people still won't acknowledge why he won, so much denial
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Wednesday October 08, @06:11PM (1 child)
Can't these apps be installed via F-Droid (sorry iPhone users)? I personally search F-Droid before the Google play store when I want something.
If nothing else stick 'em on Github. Granted, the average user might have to learn something new. But IMHO learning something new isn't something to be feared.
It was a once in a lifetime experience. Which means I'll never do it again.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday October 08, @06:21PM
Admittedly I'm not familiar with this topic so I might be full of cesium salami, but if an app like this requires a central database, then it might not matter how it's actually loaded onto the device.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈 - Give us ribbiti or make us croak! 🐸
(Score: 1, Troll) by mrpg on Wednesday October 08, @08:49PM (2 children)
Draw parallels between what's happening in the USA and Venezuela under Chavez' govnt.
This is a complex and politically sensitive comparison. I'll try to be as objective as possible while noting legitimate parallels that observers have drawn:
**Potential parallels some analysts mention:**
**1. Populist rhetoric and polarization:**
- Both involve/involved strong populist leaders with devoted bases
- Deep political polarization (us vs. them narratives)
- Claims that opposition represents elites/establishment
- Use of social media to communicate directly with supporters
**2. Institutional concerns:**
- Questions about respect for institutional independence
- Concerns about executive power expansion
- Tensions with judiciary and checks/balances
- Challenges to election legitimacy (though from different directions)
**3. Economic nationalism:**
- Protectionist trade policies
- Skepticism of international agreements
- Focus on domestic industry revival
**4. Media relationships:**
- Antagonism toward mainstream media ("fake news" vs. "golpista media")
- Alternative information ecosystems
- Questions about press freedom (though vastly different scales)
**Critical differences (enormous):**
- **US has robust institutions** that have held despite pressure
- **No nationalization** of industries or price controls
- **Free press** operates without government seizure of outlets
- **Opposition wasn't jailed** systematically
- **Economic collapse** didn't occur
- **Democratic transitions** continue functioning
- **Military** remains apolitical institution
- **Property rights** remain protected
**Important context:**
Venezuela under Chávez involved: systematic dismantling of democratic institutions, nationalization of private companies, currency controls, political prisoners, media shutdowns, constitutional rewrites to extend power, and economic policies that led to hyperinflation and collapse.
The US, despite tensions, maintains functioning democratic institutions, peaceful transfers of power, independent judiciary, free press, and economic stability.
**My take:** While some rhetorical or political style parallels exist, the institutional and material differences are vastly more significant. Drawing too direct a comparison risks minimizing what actually happened in Venezuela.
What specific aspects were you thinking about?
erosion of civil rights.
That's a more specific and legitimate concern to explore. Let me break down what happened in Venezuela versus concerns in the US:
**Venezuela under Chávez (actual erosion):**
- **Media:** Government seized opposition TV stations (RCTV 2007), newspapers, radio stations
- **Judiciary:** Supreme Court packed with loyalists, lost independence entirely
- **Assembly:** Opposition boycotted rigged elections, leading to one-party dominance
- **Protests:** Increasingly met with violence, arrests, torture
- **Property:** Systematic expropriation without due process
- **Speech:** Criminal charges for "insulting the president"
- **Organizations:** NGOs, universities infiltrated or shut down
- **Elections:** Electoral council controlled by government, results manipulated
**US concerns (debate over scale/severity):**
- **Voting access:** Various state laws expanding/restricting voting (depending on perspective)
- **Protest response:** Cases of excessive force, though mostly localized
- **Surveillance:** Ongoing privacy vs. security debates (predates recent years)
- **Polarization:** Each side fears the other will erode rights if in power
- **Institutional pressure:** Concerns about judicial independence, executive overreach
**Key differences:**
- **US courts still rule against government** regularly and independently
- **Free press operates** without fear of seizure
- **Peaceful transfers of power** continue
- **Opposition organizes freely**
- **Property rights protected**
- **No political prisoners** in the Venezuelan sense
**The gradient matters:**
There's a massive difference between:
- Debating voting laws ↔ Banning opposition parties
- Media bias complaints ↔ Shutting down TV stations
- Polarization ↔ Systematic persecution
**Fair question though:** Can erosion be gradual? Does the fact that Venezuela's collapse took 15+ years mean early warning signs should be taken seriously elsewhere?
(Score: 3, Touché) by Thexalon on Thursday October 09, @02:29AM (1 child)
I'm reasonably certain that Hugo Chavez is not holding Venezuela in any kind of dictatorial grip, mostly because he's dead and has been for some time.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 2) by mrpg on Thursday October 09, @09:03AM
The message was to draw a parallel between how both goverments began.
(Score: 1, Disagree) by Billy the Mountain on Wednesday October 08, @10:28PM (6 children)
If ICE Block is useful at all, it can be replicated as a web site. And in that case it would be available on any platform.
(Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday October 08, @10:43PM (5 children)
What would be missing is that "Ping! ICE thugs in your area" notification that makes more than half of the usefulness of such an application.
Imagine you needing to refresh a web page instead of having tornado/storm/tsunami/etc emergency alerts pushed to you.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by GloomMower on Thursday October 09, @01:34AM (2 children)
PWA's can do push notification, as far as I understand.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 09, @03:51AM
PWA it's moar than "can be replicated as a web site" kind of beast.
'sides, YMMV: Progressive Web Apps work on iPhone, but with limited access to push notifications, and only on Safari [mobiloud.com] (on Android, one can still sideload an app).
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 09, @04:01AM
Ah, yes, on both iOS/Android, a "[hazard] in your area" requires access to the device location.
I haven't fooled around w/ PWA, how's that gonna work if the app logic comes from a web site that's not vetted by Apple/Google and the logic can change at any moment?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by Billy the Mountain on Thursday October 09, @04:42AM (1 child)
Did some searching on DeepSeek (TLDR: There would be some unavoidable limitations--e.g. 5 mile radius alerts but the main idea could be replicated in a PWA):
The Reality of PWA Background Limitations
What Works Poorly:
Service Workers can run briefly in background, but not continuously
Background sync is for short tasks when connection resumes, not constant polling
iOS severely limits background execution for PWAs
Android is slightly better but still limited
The 5-Mile Alert Challenge:
javascript
// This WON'T work reliably in background:
setInterval(() => {
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(sendLocationToServer);
}, 120000); // Every 2 minutes
Platform-Specific Background Limitations
iOS PWA Background Behavior:
Service workers are frozen when app is in background
No reliable background location updates
May work briefly when switching apps, but not sustained
Android PWA Background Behavior:
Better than iOS but still limited
Service workers can run occasionally
Battery optimization may kill background tasks
Not reliable for frequent location updates
Native App Alternatives
For reliable background location, you'd need native capabilities:
React Native / Capacitor (Hybrid Approach):
javascript
// Using native plugins for background location
BackgroundGeolocation.configure({
desiredAccuracy: 10,
distanceFilter: 100, // meters
interval: 120000, // 2 minutes
stopOnTerminate: false,
startOnBoot: true
});
Pure Native Apps:
iOS: Significant Location Changes, Region Monitoring
Android: Background Services, Fused Location Provider
Practical PWA Alternatives
1. Push Notifications (Better Approach)
Server calculates proximity and sends push alerts
No constant background location needed
Users receive alerts even when app isn't open
2. Manual Refresh
User opens app to check for nearby sightings
App checks current location against recent reports
3. Limited Background (Android-only)
May work somewhat on Android with foreground service
Still unreliable and battery-intensive
Recommendation
For a reliable 5-mile proximity alert system, I'd suggest:
Use push notifications instead of constant background location
Consider hybrid app (React Native/Capacitor) if background tracking is critical
Set realistic expectations - pure PWA won't give reliable background location
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 09, @05:31AM
Thank you, appreciated.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DadaDoofy on Thursday October 09, @08:56PM (1 child)
I think Reuter's would have been better off sticking with the news they started out with, "Apple was contacted by President Donald Trump's administration", rather than going on to editorialize that it was a "demand", without citing any evidence of such. Maybe they were trying to frame this as a "both sides" argument, equating this with the Biden administration's demands of censorship that various tech bros recently fessed up to caving to.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/urls_cited/ot2023/23-411/23-411-2.pdf [supremecourt.gov]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 10, @12:13AM