It's time for Apple to reinstate ICEBlock<p>In October, Apple caved to pressure from the Trump administration and <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-removes-iceblock-from-the-app-store-after-trump-administrations-demand-031659651.html" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1">removed ICEBlock — and similar apps that crowdsourced the location of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activity — from its App Store[/url]. Apple's stated rationale? The apps could "be used to harm law enforcement officers." But armed-to-the-teeth ICE officers don’t need protection from civilians. Apple had that exactly backward.</p><p>That became impossible to ignore on Wednesday, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross <a target="_blank" class="link rapid-with-clickid" href="
https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=c813ae39-7d58-41cb-ac66-ad830606ceef&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&contentUuid=db1c945f-64db-4519-9c58-c6c65586ef02&featureId=text-link&merchantName=The+New+York+Times&linkText=killed&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS8yMDI2LzAxLzA3L3VzL2ljZS1zaG9vdGluZy1taW5uZWFwb2xpcy1yZW5lZS1nb29kLmh0bWwiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImRiMWM5NDVmLTY0ZGItNDUxOS05YzU4LWM2YzY1NTg2ZWYwMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNi8wMS8wNy91cy9pY2Utc2hvb3RpbmctbWlubmVhcG9saXMtcmVuZWUtZ29vZC5odG1sIn0&signature=AQAAAX4j38laveEjbjKFA5Z4CAINEXJJMJbcSBI1yOp3Ztc_&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2026%2F01%2F07%2Fus%2Fice-shooting-minneapolis-renee-good.html" data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:The New York Times;elmt:;cpos:2;pos:1" data-original-link="
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/ice-shooting-minneapolis-renee-good.html">killed[/url] 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in cold blood. By now, you don't need me to recount her brutal last moments. But the footage (graphic and disturbing as it is) is out there, and we can see the Trump administration's propaganda about the event for what it is.</p><p>ICE was a dangerous force long before this week. This was the agency’s <a target="_blank" class="link rapid-with-clickid" href="
https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=c813ae39-7d58-41cb-ac66-ad830606ceef&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&contentUuid=db1c945f-64db-4519-9c58-c6c65586ef02&featureId=text-link&merchantName=The+New+York+Times&linkText=ninth+shooting+since+September&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS8yMDI2LzAxLzA3L3VzL2ljZS1zaG9vdGluZ3MtbWlubmVhcG9saXMtb3RoZXItY2l0aWVzLmh0bWwiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImRiMWM5NDVmLTY0ZGItNDUxOS05YzU4LWM2YzY1NTg2ZWYwMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNi8wMS8wNy91cy9pY2Utc2hvb3RpbmdzLW1pbm5lYXBvbGlzLW90aGVyLWNpdGllcy5odG1sIn0&signature=AQAAAWJN5LudKvO1Im_4oOrhjH2RZU8AqBAedlHabaX61xr4&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2026%2F01%2F07%2Fus%2Fice-shootings-minneapolis-other-cities.html" data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:The New York Times;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1" data-original-link="
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/ice-shootings-minneapolis-other-cities.html">ninth shooting since September[/url]. 32 people <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/04/ice-2025-deaths-timeline" data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1">died in ICE custody[/url] in 2025. Around a third of those arrested by ICE agents — often masked and refusing to identify themselves — <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5637397/about-a-third-of-people-arrested-by-ice-had-no-criminal-record-new-data-shows" data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1">don’t even have criminal records.[/url] </p><p>What changed this week was, arguably, that the victim wasn’t a brown-skinned person. ICE claimed the life of a white American citizen, one who, <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/09/renee-goods-wife-releases-statement-about-ice-shooting" data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1">according[/url] to her wife, was a kind, loving mom and a Christian. Unfortunately, the US has a dark history of shrugging off violence as long as it’s directed towards a marginalized group. That wasn’t possible for mainstream newsreaders here.</p><figure><img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/2026-01/79a4bba4-687c-4037-af9b-16c4e5b63136" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/2026-01/79a4bba4-687c-4037-af9b-16c4e5b63136" style="height:5464px;width:8192px;" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 8, 2026 Dozens, holding photos of Renee Nicole Good, protest her death a day after an ICE agent killed Good in Minneapolis, in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on January 8, 2026. The protest was organized by Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE). (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)" data-uuid="07a30e50-f40d-3434-989c-4b7e4a49f555"><figcaption>LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 8, 2026 Dozens, holding photos of Renee Nicole Good, protest her death a day after an ICE agent killed Good in Minneapolis, in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on January 8, 2026. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)</figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Genaro Molina via Getty Images</div></figure><p>On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/politics/jd-vance-ice-shooting-trump" data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1">smeared[/url] Good baselessly, insisting the mother was part of a "left-wing network." He also claimed ICE holds "absolute immunity" when it comes to doing things like killing Americans in broad daylight. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/jan/08/minneapolis-shooting-ice-minnesota-protests-vigils-donald-trump-latest-news-updates" data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1">framed[/url] the deadly incident as the "result of a larger, sinister left-wing movement that has spread across our country." And the FBI has <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/politics/investigation-minneapolis-ice-shooting-deviates-police-shooting-playbook" data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1">blocked[/url] Minnesota's criminal investigation bureau from accessing evidence to complete a thorough examination of the homicide.</p><p>In short, an agency with the full backing of the federal government killed an innocent citizen. And while there are tools to inform the public about the likely locations that agency may be acting in, Apple has chosen to keep them from us.</p><p>Apple has a history of presenting itself as a safer, socially progressive alternative within Big Tech. Its keynotes are replete with heartfelt testimony about iPhone and Apple Watch features saving lives. It <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-pride-edition-2022-203022521.html" data-i13n="slk:releases Pride-themed accessories;cpos:10;pos:1">releases Pride-themed accessories[/url] to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and the company has (so far) <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-is-keeping-its-dei-program-130033491.html" data-i13n="slk:resisted government pressure;cpos:11;pos:1">resisted government pressure[/url] to eliminate its DEI programs. Hell, its modern era was kicked off by the “Here’s to the crazy ones” <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL3TQtJDr0U" data-i13n="slk:TV ad;cpos:12;pos:1">TV ad[/url], which intercut images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon and Gandhi — explicitly cloaking its corporate image in civil disobedience and social justice.</p><figure><img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/apple_mlk.jpg" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/apple_mlk.jpg" style="height:1204px;width:2140px;" alt="A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Apple's homepage (2015)" data-uuid="5188ccce-b535-438b-b52c-94ca9db60d93"><figcaption>A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Apple's homepage (2015)</figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Apple / The Internet Archive</div></figure><p>But the company also wields that progressive image for selfish reasons, wrapping business priorities in the guise of conscientiousness. For example, when government regulations push for openness or interoperability, Apple <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-and-meta-are-beefing-over-the-dmas-mandated-interoperability-requests-155851120.html" data-i13n="slk:warns of the security and privacy risks for its users;cpos:13;pos:1">warns of the security and privacy risks for its users[/url]. When Apple tightly controls where you can buy apps, it’s about <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-steps-up-its-attacks-on-europes-dma-regulations-175332390.html" data-i13n="slk:keeping porn away from the kids;cpos:14;pos:1">keeping porn away from the kids[/url]. And Apple has decided that the theoretical safety of ICE officers is more valuable than the very real threat they pose to the communities they harass.</p><p>ICEBlock's availability on the App Store may not have changed the outcome of Wednesday's events. But it could resume its job as a community informer. It could make it easier to notify the public of where these masked thugs are congregating, perhaps even helping others avoid Good's fate.</p><p>Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment on reinstating ICEBlock; we’ll update if we receive a response.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/its-time-for-apple-to-reinstate-iceblock-220802356.html?src=rssSource:
It's time for Apple to reinstate ICEBlock
