SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class

[douglas9]

WASHINGTON — Apple has quietly removed DeICER, a civic-reporting app used to log immigration enforcement activity, from its App Store after a law enforcement complaint — invoking a rule normally reserved for protecting marginalized groups from hate speech.

According to internal correspondence reviewed by Migrant Insider, Apple told developer Rafael Concepcion that the app violated Guideline 1.1.1, which prohibits “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content” directed at “religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups.”

But Apple’s justification went further. “Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group,” the company wrote in its removal notice.

The decision effectively treats federal immigration agents as a protected class — a novel interpretation of Apple’s hate-speech policy that shields one of the most powerful arms of government from public scrutiny.

In an exclusive Tuesday-night interview, Concepcion — a former professor of journalism at Syracuse University — said the app had roughly 30,000 users before it disappeared from the App Store this week.


https://migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-apple-quietly-made-ice-agents

[dalton99a]

1. Silicon Valley is fascist to the core.

The tech industry is not a friend of Democrats

[usonian]

2. Since I retired.

But I had mighty little influence.

THEY SHOULDA LISTENED TO ME.

[LakeVermilion]

3. Two questions:

I have a friend who wants to know...

• Does the app continue to work after Apple discontinued it?

* Can it be shared between users?

[douglas9]

10. ICEBlock

snip>

ICEBLOCK STILL WORKS

If you currently have ICEBlock installed it still works. DO NOT DELETE the app or reset your device as you will lose access to ICEBlock.

We have been made aware of malicious entities trying to harm people by posting fake downloads and source code. ICEBlock is NOT currently available for download.

https://www.iceblock.app

[newdeal2]

4. Are they going to remove Waze?

That shows you where police are too.

[usonian]

5. Trump has no power except through his goons and non-resisters.

Do not obey in advance

Historian Timothy Snyder’s first lesson in his book On Tyranny is “Do not obey in advance.” To obey a tyrant before you are compelled to do so teaches them what they will be able to get you to do, easily, without even needing to expend the resources and energy it takes to carry out that part of their agenda.




And I emailed that to Tim Cook.

[Volaris]

11. Right by that logic, every police scanner in america just became illegal.

Apple has more cash on hand than god I can't believe the people with REAL fuck you money, knelt down this fast, this hard.

[Butterflylady]

6. I don't know about anybody else,

But I'm glad or I should say happy I've never bought anything from Apple.

[Timewas]

7. My question

Is there an android version?

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Tim Apple

He’s encouraged the orange traitor with gold trinkets and now he’s on the golden hook for ever.

[maliaSmith]

9. Apple supports Trump's violations of the law

If anyone actually cares what Apple has done, it's time to stop buying Apple products like their phones, computers and all other products. Show them the power we exert over our country, like we did when Jimmy Kimmel was fired. I have never bought or used an Apple product and
have survived. You can also. By their slimy actions, Apple has shown they support what ICE and Trump are doing.

[Hekate]

12. Check in with Electronic Frontier Foundation & see what they have. Also contact Dr. Concepcion, the developer...

I think people should be checking with Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF.ORG to see if they have an equivalent. They take an interest in all things connected with personal privacy.

Also, contact Dr. Concepcion, the app developer, and suggest he check in with EFF to see if they are interested in some way.

Everything I use is Apple, because of the way I started with them in the early 1980s. But of late years I have become increasingly disturbed by their godlike intrusiveness into and surveillance of our personal lives.