Have you checked out the Apple App Store lately? There’s a new number one on the leaderboard under the free social media app list.
Developer, Joshua Aaron, says the ICEBlock app is modeled after Waze, only it allows people to anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a way that makes it impossible for anyone, including the government, to trace reports back to individual users.
In turn, people who’ve downloaded ICEBlock are able to see reported appearances of ICE agents within a five-mile radius and receive real-time updates. As with making reports, viewing them is anonymous, and the sightings are automatically deleted after four hours.
the authorities don’t want you to use it
“ICEBlock is an innovative, completely anonymous crowdsourced platform that allows users to report (ICE) activity with just two taps on their phone,” says ICEBlock’s website.
“In recent years, ICE has faced criticism for alleged civil rights abuses and failures to adhere to constitutional principles and due process, making it crucial for communities to stay informed about its operations.”
In the finest traditions set forth by such public speakers as Kim Jong Un, Muammar Gaddafi, and Hugo Chávez, the authorities railed against the June 30 CNN article that brought the app to wider public attention. And in turn, the Streisand Effect of that brought it to more people’s attention.
You can download ICEBlock on the App Store for the iPhone only. It’s free, and there are no micropayments or premium tiers to pay for. The Android is left out in the cold, though. There’s no app for Android devices.
“While we understand the desire for an Android version of ICEBlock, achieving this level of anonymity on Android is not feasible due to the inherent requirements of push notification services,” says ICEBlock on its official website.
“To send push notifications on Android, it is necessary to use a mechanism that requires storing device IDs. This means that we would need to maintain a privately hosted database to store these identifiers. Storing such data, even if it’s anonymized, introduces significant privacy risks.”
TechCrunch confirmed that ICEBlock is true to its word and doesn’t collect user data. Because this is the internet, it pays to be on guard and only download the app from reputable, reliable stores.
“We have noticed unauthorized distribution channels offering what appears to be an Android version of ICEBlock,” ICEBlock’s developers wrote, along with warnings that people are posting fake downloads and source codes, presumably of the iOS version, too.
“Please be advised that these are not sanctioned by us. We only recommend downloading ICEBlock exclusively from the Apple App Store, as that is the only place it is available.”
The post New Social Media App ICEBlock Shows Nearby ICE Raids in Real Time appeared first on VICE.
