In October, Apple bowed to pressure from the Trump administration and removed ICEBlock — and similar apps that crowdsourced the location of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity — from its App Store. Apple’s stated reasoning? The apps “can be used to harm law enforcement officials.” But armed ICE officers don’t need protection from civilians. Apple was completely behind.
It became impossible to ignore on Wednesday, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross brutally murdered 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. By now, you don’t need to remember his brutal final moments. But the footage (graphic and disturbing) is out there, and we can see the Trump administration’s propaganda about this incident.
ICE was a dangerous force long before this week. It was the agency’s ninth firing since September. 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025. About a third of the people arrested by ICE agents — often masked and refusing to identify themselves — don’t even have a criminal record.
What changed this week was probably that the victim wasn’t a brown person. ICE took the life of a white American citizen who, according to his wife, was a kind, loving mother and Christian. Unfortunately, America has a dark history of shying away from violence unless it is directed toward a marginalized group. This was not possible for mainstream news readers here.
On Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance accused Good of making baseless accusations that his mother was part of a “leftist network.” He also claimed that ICE has “complete immunity” when it comes to doing things like killing Americans in broad daylight. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt described the deadly incident as “the result of a large, horrific leftist movement sweeping across our country.” And the FBI has blocked Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation from accessing evidence to complete a thorough investigation of the massacre.
In short: an agency with the full support of the federal government murdered an innocent civilian, and while the tools exist to inform the public about possible places the agency might be operating, Apple has chosen to keep them away from us.
Apple has a history of presenting itself as a safe, socially progressive alternative within Big Tech. Its keynotes are filled with heartfelt testimonies of the life-saving features of the iPhone and Apple Watch. It releases Pride-themed accessories to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the company has (so far) resisted government pressure to eliminate its DEI programs. Hell, its modern era began with a “Here’s to the Crazy” TV ad, which paired images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and Gandhi – clearly cloaking its corporate image in civil disobedience and social justice.
A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Apple’s homepage (2015) (Apple/The Internet Archive)
But the company also uses that progressive image for selfish reasons by wrapping business priorities under the guise of conscientiousness. For example, when government regulations emphasize openness or interoperability, Apple warns about security and privacy risks to its users. When Apple strictly controls where you can buy apps, it’s all about keeping porn away from kids. And Apple has decided that the theoretical protection of ICE officers is more valuable than the actual threat they pose to the communities they harass.
The availability of ICEBlock on the App Store would not have changed the outcome of Wednesday’s events. But it can resume its work as a community informant. This might make it easier to inform the public about where these masked thugs are congregating, perhaps even helping others avoid Good’s fate.
Engadget has contacted Apple for comment on reinstalling ICEBlock; We will update if we get any response.
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