The developer behind the ICEBlock, which was removed from the App Store at the request of the Trump administration, has filed a free speech suppression lawsuit. The lawsuit names Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and other government officials, accusing them of First Amendment violations (via NPR).
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Central to the lawsuit is a statement from Bondi, who claimed that Apple removed the app at the government’s request. “We contacted Apple today demanding that it remove the ICEBlock app from the App Store – and Apple did,” Bondi said.
The ICEBlock app allows iPhone users to report the location of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents when they are spotted in public places. The app was removed from the App Store in early October, although those who downloaded it before the removal can still use it. ICEBlock had over a million users when it was removed from the App Store.
Joshua Aaron, the app's developer, argues that the creation, distribution and promotion of ICEBlock are legal and protected by the First Amendment. He alleges that the government officials named in the lawsuit used the power of their offices to pressure, threaten and blackmail Apple into removing the app.
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This lawsuit challenges the unconstitutional threats and demands of these government officials against Apple, who pressured it to remove the ICEBlock app from the App Store. Specifically, Apple’s blackmail by Attorney General Bondi has censored Aaron and ALL U Chart, Inc., which owns the intellectual property of ICEBlock, by making ICEBlock – their speech – unavailable to the public.
Apple is not named in the lawsuit and is not targeted by Aaron. When the app was removed from the App Store, Apple stated that the app violated guideline 1.1.1 and made it clear that it was removed at the request of the government.
“Information provided to Apple by law enforcement indicates that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 because its purpose is to provide location information to law enforcement officers that could be used to harm those officers individually or as a group. For this reason, your app will be removed from the App Store.“
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Aaron is asking the court to allow ICEBlock to be reinstated and to prevent government officials from threatening or pressuring ICEBlock distributors.
