This is exactly the sort of thing that the First Amendment was made for. Speech that's uncomfortable for the government. Regardless of how you feel about ICE, immigration policies in general or Trump an app that reports on publicly available information ought to be considered free speech.
Oh damn they should rebrand the app as "Revere" and market it as doing your patriotic duty - letting Americans know where the enemy is and where they are going.
As a note I don't think they should actually do this but it would be interesting seeing it marketed as a patriotic thing rather than a "resistance" thing.
As a note I don't think they should actually do this but it would be interesting seeing it marketed as a patriotic thing rather than a "resistance" thing.
I always thought resistance was a patriotic thing.
This country needs to find it's punk rock spirit again. For those who missed it, they just had Ken Casey on the Daily Show. It was great. We need more shit like this.
Punk is going against the establishment. Particularly the wealthy and the corporate rats, which is the epitome of the current regime. Punk is also about camaraderie and community. Bringing people together in good spirit against a common enemy. It just so happens that that is what the real "patriotic" thing to do is at this current moment in history.
Though, to be fair, a large part of the mythology we've told ourselves about our country for the last few centuries has been. A country built on revolution against kings. Granted it's a bullshit lie from the start but still.
Punk isn't patriotism. Patriotism, at least in the idealized colloquial American context, should be punk, though.
You might be protesting for Gaza but unless you have more US flags than Palestinian flags youre not sending the right message to the people who need to hear it.
Activism needs to be less circlejerk and more strategy.
Definitely need to appease the aggressor by letting them frame the argument and by shifting further rightward, that always works. /s Classic Democrat move.
If you won't use your own country's flag to represent the values you believe in, then you've already lost. You need to own it. Democrats don't do that.
And it's why the second is just as important. It's for when the first gets suppressed. People need to stop letting politicians take away our rights. They know which ones to target first
The issue is it’s on a private store. Apple folded cause the government asked them too, it’s really their fault. If ICEBlock directly distributed the government couldn’t do anything
Apple soon complied, sending an email to Aaron that said it would block further downloads of the app because new information “provided to Apple by law enforcement” showed the app broke the app store rules.
Too many people have boxed themselves into the walled gardens of Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store, making it really easy to stamp out social movements. It seems like people have that not everything needs to be accessed through an app.
Personally, I've made it a habit to use web shortcuts instead of downloading apps on my main phone as much as possible.
The last app I developed I specifically hosted the installer myself on my storefront, albeit you had to go around the “this file may be unsafe” warning if you were a customer. I just knew my app would possibly be taken down. This route made it so that if a specific company had an issue with the application’s usage they would have to send me a cease and desist themselves, not just take it down or have it taken down from an App Store. I refuse to not only give up total control of my work to a third party…but pay them a percentage to give up that control.
That is a stupid reaction. Those updates protect you and your data even if they bring shitty changes. That is like jumping off a bridge because you don't want to pay the new toll.
There are industries that rely on creating and deploying unsigned apps, that are completely legit, and can't afford to pay google for everything necessary to have signed apps. Making it so these corporations can no longer do this means they'll stay on older versions of Android, being forced to either pony up the dough to sign apps (not gonna happen), or just use the older software that will remain vulnerable/have new vulnerabilities crop up regularly without any updates).
You are talking about something you know very little about, and it shows.
You wildly misunderstood my comment. I was saying it is dumb to refuse all updates to avoid one you don't like because that hurts yourself. I personally think the original idea to prevent side loading was terrible and I was looking into running lineageOS again until they walked it back
This kind of shit is what is wrong with the internet. You misunderstood my comment then go pretend I am not a real person because you don't like it.
I didn't say they were good. I didn't say I like the idea. I just said running out of date software is stupid. Install the update and replace your phone ASAP. Or install lineageOS. Or whatever else you want.
Any android can operate outside Google's walls if it wants too.
Android can download and install apps from anywhere, Google play just provides the most secured option so it became the go to.
Even if you look at app add from a while ago it wouldnt say available on the apple app store and Google pay. It would say available on all major app stores.
Ultimately we're all walled garden in a way. Our lives are not independent from the powers that be. Especially on a societal scale convenience is a force of nature. Trying to get the masses to do the right thing if it's even the second most pleasing is nigh impossible.
Make sure you click the two little dots on the left of the url bar. Click on and cookies and site data and remove upon closing or don't sava data still.
Just putting this out there.
Installing apks outside of the app store is (for now) still supported on Android.
You can also side load, that requires (only a little) more tech savvy.
Do not trust Google or Apple. I recognize that sounds paranoid but they actively don't give a fuck about their customers privacy if it means daddy DIA gets upset with them.
It's a common tactic when the government wants/needs to silence a problem legally. If it's hosted on or reliant on a major provider, you go to them and ask/bribe them to remove it and claim it's a TOS violation. Ethical ones won't do it, but the big players usually will, since they may be getting various benefits from the government and defiance would jeopardize them.
But this time, the admin just had to shoot their mouth off again, so it makes it much harder to distance themselves.
there is no "ethical" corporation. Apple is a private company, and their closed eco system is not a "public" space. they are free to host and not host whatever they want. sadly, this is exactly what will happen.
Yep, no ethical corps but there are some hosting providers who will tell them to pound sand since they have nothing to gain and maintaining trust is important.
Remember the beepers before smartphones? They had a "push notification system" in which the network providers would "beep" some news and sports information.
The contention he had with Android is that Google requires HIM to centrally store the device IDs of users for push. He is not willing to take that on. Apple had no such restriction.
The app-creator is vehemently against open-source as seen in this part of his 404 media interview.
While I think this guy made something that is fundamentally doing good, he really comes across as someone that's swept away in the virality of his invention, or at the very least, hard-headed.
From what I've seen in this interview and his interaction with a journalist that brought up a small security issue with his app, I think he's more interested in claiming the ownership of an idea (i.e. creating something that's become part of the "worldwide vernacular") as opposed to helping people escape haphazardly-hired bounty hunters.
Totally not related is the appearance of my ICECube app, which looks and functions exactly like the ICEBlock app except it’s clearly completely different because there is a different name.
A lot of local police department have also, unfortunately, been transitioning to encrypted radio communication. Usually under the claims of upgrading their systems to digital, even though it encryption isn't a mandatory feature that has to be enabled when upgrading.
Its probably not different, which is why its a problem. From what I know you can get in trouble, for example "use of a polices scanner in the furtherance of a crime" is not legal. And in pretty much every country illegally entering the country is a crime. So using something like a police tracker in this case could easily be seen as "furtherance of a crime".
no, they won't. Apple's closed eco system isn't a "public" space. governments are free to request a private company to remove an app from a private app store. apple has already had this litigated.
The lawsuit is against the feds for their pressure campaign, which would potentially be a free speech issue. Apple is not mentioned as a party to the suit in the article.
Though if they thought they had proof Apple selectively enforced a policy on their app they are not enforcing on others, that could be fodder for a suit and potential relief or damages.
But there's a reason they are going after the feds and not Apple with a free speech focused case.
People tried suing the CDC during Biden’s administration for similar reasons, allegedly coercing platform like Twitter into deleting COVID-related posts, and lost 6-3 at SCOTUS. That will make it much harder to win here.
Even if you don’t think precedent matters - if Biden didn’t lose this case at this Supreme Court, why would you expect Trump to? The worst case scenario for Trump is that Alito/Gorsuch/Thomas switch places with Sotomayer/Kagan/Jackson and the outcome is still 6-3 for the administration.
Nonsense. Speech doesn't have to take place in a public space to be protected. You may be confusing this with the freedom of private spaces like the app store to regulate itself -- this is true, and what people often get wrong complaining about free speech on Facebook etc.
But since this is the government pressuring Apple to remove the App, the 1st amendment likely applies.
There won't be a reinstatement. Even if they win Apple can remove any app they want from their App Store and they don't have to state why. Nothing will change Tim Apple's opinion on Trump other than boycott because they ultimately want tax subsidies.
Then I can end my little Apple TV boycott, resubscribe, and finally watch Slow Horses. (Otherwise I’m pretty much tied to Apple, having avoided Windows and Android.)
People who talked a big game about free speech when Parler hosted the capitol riot text groups and Trump got kicked off Twitter sure don’t have anything to say about this, wonder why that is
And the people who are talking a big game about free speech now were the ones pushing for Parler to be deplatformed then. If you’re ever ok with limiting free speech at all, you don’t have a lot of ground to stand on when it comes for you. We either have to push for free speech even when it’s bad or we stand to lose free speech completely.
Oh you guys are still doing free speech? I thought with the letting go of due process and all perhaps ignoring the constitution wasn't a problem anymore.
The developer believed that a notification system in a PWA would be impossible without compromising on security/privacy. Other developers disagreed, and at least one PWA app does exist, but only allows reports through the (android) app.
Stop suing already! He's gonna keep delaying things by gaming the system. The best bet is to go straight for the Sherriff's sale and walk in the White House with boxes.
I'm glad to see it, although I do wish they'd at least credit the person who interviewed Joshua Aaron (Allison Gill of MSW Media/The Daily Beans) since Gill EXCLUSIVELY reported this.
This is exactly the sort of thing that the First Amendment was made for. Speech that's uncomfortable for the government. Regardless of how you feel about ICE, immigration policies in general or Trump an app that reports on publicly available information ought to be considered free speech.
If Waze is allowed, so should ICEBlock.
It's the same thing Paul Revere and Israel Bissell (among others) did to warn us that the British were coming in 1775.
Oh damn they should rebrand the app as "Revere" and market it as doing your patriotic duty - letting Americans know where the enemy is and where they are going.
As a note I don't think they should actually do this but it would be interesting seeing it marketed as a patriotic thing rather than a "resistance" thing.
I actually love this idea unironically.
3 if by ICE
I could see holding up 3 fingers as a sign of ICE
Nah. I only have one finger to give to ICE.
I always thought resistance was a patriotic thing.
This country needs to find it's punk rock spirit again. For those who missed it, they just had Ken Casey on the Daily Show. It was great. We need more shit like this.
Ah yes nothing more punk than... patriotism
Punk is going against the establishment. Particularly the wealthy and the corporate rats, which is the epitome of the current regime. Punk is also about camaraderie and community. Bringing people together in good spirit against a common enemy. It just so happens that that is what the real "patriotic" thing to do is at this current moment in history.
Though, to be fair, a large part of the mythology we've told ourselves about our country for the last few centuries has been. A country built on revolution against kings. Granted it's a bullshit lie from the start but still.
Punk isn't patriotism. Patriotism, at least in the idealized colloquial American context, should be punk, though.
Great marketing idea
The left in the US needs more of this in general.
You might be protesting for Gaza but unless you have more US flags than Palestinian flags youre not sending the right message to the people who need to hear it.
Activism needs to be less circlejerk and more strategy.
Definitely need to appease the aggressor by letting them frame the argument and by shifting further rightward, that always works. /s Classic Democrat move.
If you won't use your own country's flag to represent the values you believe in, then you've already lost. You need to own it. Democrats don't do that.
This would be great but you’d have to be able to update the app to change it.
Nice Bissell shoutout
in Kevin McAlester’s voice The vacuum guy?
They literally did a seek and destroy on this app. We had 2,000+ units running and they’re all gone.
Maybe they should rename iceblock to ICERevere and be more on the nose about it
Trump gets to do these things with tax payers money
Hey I said the same thing about Napster. All they did was report publicly available search results.
I can't believe the government broke it's own rules
And it's why the second is just as important. It's for when the first gets suppressed. People need to stop letting politicians take away our rights. They know which ones to target first
The issue is it’s on a private store. Apple folded cause the government asked them too, it’s really their fault. If ICEBlock directly distributed the government couldn’t do anything
Too many people have boxed themselves into the walled gardens of Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store, making it really easy to stamp out social movements. It seems like people have that not everything needs to be accessed through an app.
Personally, I've made it a habit to use web shortcuts instead of downloading apps on my main phone as much as possible.
wait until that’s blocked too
There are always work arounds. ;)
Doesn’t matter if 5% find work arounds, the majority will still not go thru the trouble to access
When they're intentionally unintuitive and have an access barrier, then no one is gunna use it ;)
Eventually enough people get sick of it that it opens the doors for competition
The last app I developed I specifically hosted the installer myself on my storefront, albeit you had to go around the “this file may be unsafe” warning if you were a customer. I just knew my app would possibly be taken down. This route made it so that if a specific company had an issue with the application’s usage they would have to send me a cease and desist themselves, not just take it down or have it taken down from an App Store. I refuse to not only give up total control of my work to a third party…but pay them a percentage to give up that control.
Apple always folds first then Google follows.
Neither innovate anymore.
Download the apk?
ipa and iPhone typical users aren’t going to know how to side load.
Sideloading doesn't really work on iOS any longer, and installing unknown APKs that aren't signed by Google is going away with the next major update.
Google walked that back. There will be a warning now but installing .apk files yourself (signed or otherwise) will remain.
Hmm guess I'm not updating anytime soon
There are rumors that the feature will still be disabled anyways, but we'll see.
That is a stupid reaction. Those updates protect you and your data even if they bring shitty changes. That is like jumping off a bridge because you don't want to pay the new toll.
Our data needs protecting from apple and Google. Its not protected because its with them, they just profit off selling it
I don't disagree at all. I am just saying the answer isn't to avoid updating your device and keep running out of date software.
that is hilarious.
There are industries that rely on creating and deploying unsigned apps, that are completely legit, and can't afford to pay google for everything necessary to have signed apps. Making it so these corporations can no longer do this means they'll stay on older versions of Android, being forced to either pony up the dough to sign apps (not gonna happen), or just use the older software that will remain vulnerable/have new vulnerabilities crop up regularly without any updates).
You are talking about something you know very little about, and it shows.
Cheers.
You wildly misunderstood my comment. I was saying it is dumb to refuse all updates to avoid one you don't like because that hurts yourself. I personally think the original idea to prevent side loading was terrible and I was looking into running lineageOS again until they walked it back
Industry plant ↑
This kind of shit is what is wrong with the internet. You misunderstood my comment then go pretend I am not a real person because you don't like it.
I didn't say they were good. I didn't say I like the idea. I just said running out of date software is stupid. Install the update and replace your phone ASAP. Or install lineageOS. Or whatever else you want.
Oh nevermind I just realized I'm running android 10, so I should be safe from the update, I assume.
Why do you say it doesn’t work? There’s altstore/sidestore/kravasign and more I’m sure.
Time to buy a better phone.
Progressive web apps can fill the gaps. Apple users will still be screwed, but they were always screwed.
What are the alternatives you think are so obvious and aren't beholden to a giant company?
There aren't anymore but initially there was a choice and it was passed over in the name of convenience.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) allow web pages to function like apps.
Any android can operate outside Google's walls if it wants too.
Android can download and install apps from anywhere, Google play just provides the most secured option so it became the go to.
Even if you look at app add from a while ago it wouldnt say available on the apple app store and Google pay. It would say available on all major app stores.
If you're on Android, progressive web apps can replace any apps you would typically find on a store and you can install them from anywhere.
Ultimately we're all walled garden in a way. Our lives are not independent from the powers that be. Especially on a societal scale convenience is a force of nature. Trying to get the masses to do the right thing if it's even the second most pleasing is nigh impossible.
Make sure you click the two little dots on the left of the url bar. Click on and cookies and site data and remove upon closing or don't sava data still.
With Google, people can download apks and install apps that way. Is there a way for apple users to download programs without the app store?
Just putting this out there. Installing apks outside of the app store is (for now) still supported on Android.
You can also side load, that requires (only a little) more tech savvy.
Do not trust Google or Apple. I recognize that sounds paranoid but they actively don't give a fuck about their customers privacy if it means daddy DIA gets upset with them.
It's a common tactic when the government wants/needs to silence a problem legally. If it's hosted on or reliant on a major provider, you go to them and ask/bribe them to remove it and claim it's a TOS violation. Ethical ones won't do it, but the big players usually will, since they may be getting various benefits from the government and defiance would jeopardize them.
But this time, the admin just had to shoot their mouth off again, so it makes it much harder to distance themselves.
there is no "ethical" corporation. Apple is a private company, and their closed eco system is not a "public" space. they are free to host and not host whatever they want. sadly, this is exactly what will happen.
Yep, no ethical corps but there are some hosting providers who will tell them to pound sand since they have nothing to gain and maintaining trust is important.
do you mind sharing those hosting provider's names?
(asking for a friend)
What they would want to look for are ones who ignore DMCA stuff (it's an easier consistent term) 6 Best DMCA Ignored Hosting Providers (Dec 2025)
Private Web Server Hosting & Domain Provider
they thank you heartily!
I think I understand what you’re trying to say, but Apple is not a “private company” in the sense that people typically use the term private company.
"public sector" == government. "private sector" == everything else.
Provide the ICEBlock code to open source developers.
The whole app is based on Apple's push notification system. Wouldn't really work.
Remember the beepers before smartphones? They had a "push notification system" in which the network providers would "beep" some news and sports information.
It'll work on Android as a progressive web app. But yeah, Apple users will be screwed.
The contention he had with Android is that Google requires HIM to centrally store the device IDs of users for push. He is not willing to take that on. Apple had no such restriction.
The app-creator is vehemently against open-source as seen in this part of his 404 media interview.
While I think this guy made something that is fundamentally doing good, he really comes across as someone that's swept away in the virality of his invention, or at the very least, hard-headed.
From what I've seen in this interview and his interaction with a journalist that brought up a small security issue with his app, I think he's more interested in claiming the ownership of an idea (i.e. creating something that's become part of the "worldwide vernacular") as opposed to helping people escape haphazardly-hired bounty hunters.
But maybe I'm reading into it too much.
Totally not related is the appearance of my ICECube app, which looks and functions exactly like the ICEBlock app except it’s clearly completely different because there is a different name.
Yeah how is this different than tracking local police on radio app?
Or telling Google maps where speed traps are.
A lot of local police department have also, unfortunately, been transitioning to encrypted radio communication. Usually under the claims of upgrading their systems to digital, even though it encryption isn't a mandatory feature that has to be enabled when upgrading.
It’s not for tracking, it’s for alerting people in the vicinity of ICE activity. Now whistles and honking are the low-tech ways of doing this.
Even then, as steelbeamdankmemes stated, we already have apps that do that for speed traps. how is that any different?
We could all start banging on pots like they did on Ferrix in Andor…
Its probably not different, which is why its a problem. From what I know you can get in trouble, for example "use of a polices scanner in the furtherance of a crime" is not legal. And in pretty much every country illegally entering the country is a crime. So using something like a police tracker in this case could easily be seen as "furtherance of a crime".
Probably will win, but that will be 3 years from now. It needs to have an immediate action to force reinstatement while it's pending.
no, they won't. Apple's closed eco system isn't a "public" space. governments are free to request a private company to remove an app from a private app store. apple has already had this litigated.
The lawsuit is against the feds for their pressure campaign, which would potentially be a free speech issue. Apple is not mentioned as a party to the suit in the article.
Though if they thought they had proof Apple selectively enforced a policy on their app they are not enforcing on others, that could be fodder for a suit and potential relief or damages.
But there's a reason they are going after the feds and not Apple with a free speech focused case.
I would be absolutely shocked if Apple didn’t have a “we can remove an app for any reason at any time” clause in their TOS.
People tried suing the CDC during Biden’s administration for similar reasons, allegedly coercing platform like Twitter into deleting COVID-related posts, and lost 6-3 at SCOTUS. That will make it much harder to win here.
You think precedent matters?
Even if you don’t think precedent matters - if Biden didn’t lose this case at this Supreme Court, why would you expect Trump to? The worst case scenario for Trump is that Alito/Gorsuch/Thomas switch places with Sotomayer/Kagan/Jackson and the outcome is still 6-3 for the administration.
Because this timeline is fucking stupid and doesn't follow what's rational.
Nonsense. Speech doesn't have to take place in a public space to be protected. You may be confusing this with the freedom of private spaces like the app store to regulate itself -- this is true, and what people often get wrong complaining about free speech on Facebook etc.
But since this is the government pressuring Apple to remove the App, the 1st amendment likely applies.
There won't be a reinstatement. Even if they win Apple can remove any app they want from their App Store and they don't have to state why. Nothing will change Tim Apple's opinion on Trump other than boycott because they ultimately want tax subsidies.
Then I can end my little Apple TV boycott, resubscribe, and finally watch Slow Horses. (Otherwise I’m pretty much tied to Apple, having avoided Windows and Android.)
People who talked a big game about free speech when Parler hosted the capitol riot text groups and Trump got kicked off Twitter sure don’t have anything to say about this, wonder why that is
And the people who are talking a big game about free speech now were the ones pushing for Parler to be deplatformed then. If you’re ever ok with limiting free speech at all, you don’t have a lot of ground to stand on when it comes for you. We either have to push for free speech even when it’s bad or we stand to lose free speech completely.
[deleted]
The developer of this specific app chose not to make an android version, citing privacy concerns.
Ironic, considering that he made it for apple devices...
Oh you guys are still doing free speech? I thought with the letting go of due process and all perhaps ignoring the constitution wasn't a problem anymore.
Sue Apple and Google too for pulling it
Why isn't this a web app.
iOS and Android aren't a free speech platform. Look at the Fortnite a debacle.
The developer believed that a notification system in a PWA would be impossible without compromising on security/privacy. Other developers disagreed, and at least one PWA app does exist, but only allows reports through the (android) app.
App store and Google Play store are different than iOS and Android...
And the Supreme Court is like.
Suing Trump? NOT ON MY WATCH!
Should sue Apple instead bc they removed it? Better chance of getting something
In America free speech and violence is only for the ruling class.
Oh look folks, another law suit the tax payers foot the bill for
Them block these apps are also against the Freedom of Information Act. That’s why you can mark where cops are on Waze
They'll just claim a matter of national security, end of discussion.
Stop suing already! He's gonna keep delaying things by gaming the system. The best bet is to go straight for the Sherriff's sale and walk in the White House with boxes.
Why sue now, need to sue in a couple years when hopefully we are back to a democracy again.
Wait, do people actually still expect free speech in the US?
I'm glad to see it, although I do wish they'd at least credit the person who interviewed Joshua Aaron (Allison Gill of MSW Media/The Daily Beans) since Gill EXCLUSIVELY reported this.