ICE-tracking app tops App Store

From The Verge: ICEBlock, an app that lets users anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, has soared up App Store charts after receiving criticism from Donald Trump’s administration. On Monday, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to CNN’s coverage of ICEBlock in a post on X, calling it an “obstruction of justice.”

Following this comment, ICEBlock grew in popularity overnight, bringing it to the top of the App Store on Tuesday before dropping to the third spot at the time of writing. According to its website, ICEBlock lets users report sightings of ICE officials with “two taps” and view reports that others have made within a five-mile radius. It also says the app stores no personal data, “making it impossible to trace reports back to individual users.”

On Tuesday, Noem told reporters that she’s going to work with the Department of Justice to see if the Trump administration can “prosecute” CNN over its ICEBlock report: “What they’re doing is actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities and operations.” ICE acting Director Todd Lyons also claimed CNN’s reporting is “willfully endangering the lives of officers.”

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