Apple Removed ICE-Tracking Apps; a Lawmaker Says the Safety Case Is Unsupported

Apple has pulled ICE-tracking apps such as ICEBlock from the App Store and is still absorbing the backlash. Ars Technica describes the removal as a step that seemed to be triggered by Trump administration claims that the apps endangered officers. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) argues the safety rationale doesn't hold: according to the lawmaker, Apple has no evidence to support claims that the apps raised safety concerns. The dispute has moved past a store listing and into a question about evidence — what a platform owes its users when it restricts a tool for watching government activity, and what it is obliged to show before doing so.