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The company has removed apps that allowed users to identify observations of personnel from ICE.

Apple declared it had taken down the tracking application from its App Store after police alerted them about potential "security concerns" linked to this app and "similar apps".

Per a declaration shared with news outlets, the top law enforcement official Pam Bondi had "insisted on" the app's removal stating it was "designed to put enforcement personnel at danger".

The programmer argued that such allegations were "patently false" and charged the tech firm of "giving in to an authoritarian regime".

History of the Debated Software

The application is among numerous programs introduced recently in response to expanded border control operations across the US.

Critics - including the maker of the app - allege the authorities of abusing its powers and "spreading anxiety" to local neighborhoods.

The no-cost app functions by revealing the whereabouts of immigration officers. It has been acquired in excess of a one million instances in the US.

Risk Factors

Nonetheless, officials contended it was being used to single out immigration agents, with the federal investigators saying that the individual who targeted an ICE facility in the city in recently - fatally shooting two persons - had utilized related software to monitor the activities of agents and their vehicles.

According to their announcement, Apple stated: "We developed the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to locate apps.

"Following data we've obtained from authorities about the safety risks connected to the software, we have eliminated it and similar apps from the digital platform."

Programmer's Position

Nevertheless its maker, Joshua Aaron, denied it presented a threat.

"This application is similar to crowd sourcing police locations, which each significant mapping application, even their internal Maps app," he stated.

"This is free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution."

Joshua Aaron - who has worked in the tech industry for a long time - previously stated he developed the app out of worry over a surge in ICE activities.

"I definitely watched pretty closely during the prior leadership and then I paid attention to the language during the political contest for the second," he stated.

"My mind started firing on what was going to happen and what I could do to protect individuals."

Government Reaction

The executive branch and federal law enforcement had denounced the app after it debuted in recent months and downloads rose.