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The company has withdrawn applications that permitted users to report observations of personnel from ICE.

The company declared it had eliminated the tracking application from its App Store after police informed them about concerning "dangerous implications" associated with the application and "comparable applications".

According to a declaration sent to media organizations, the Attorney General Pam Bondi had "requested" the app's elimination stating it was "designed to put ICE officers at danger".

Its developer responded that such claims were "demonstrably incorrect" and charged the company of "capitulating to an dictatorial administration".

Background of the Disputed App

The application is among numerous programs launched in recent months in answer to increased immigration crackdown operations across the US.

Detractors - including the maker of ICEBlock - charge the authorities of abusing its influence and "creating anxiety" to American communities.

The free software works by displaying the locations of enforcement agents. It has been downloaded in excess of a one million times in the US.

Safety Concerns

Nonetheless, law enforcement argued it was being utilized to target ICE officers, with the FBI stating that the person who targeted an ICE facility in the city in recently - murdering two individuals - had used comparable applications to monitor the activities of agents and their transportation.

Through an official declaration, Apple stated: "We created the application marketplace to be a secure and reliable platform to discover apps.

"According to intelligence we've received from law enforcement about the potential dangers associated with this application, we have withdrawn it and comparable applications from the digital platform."

Programmer's Position

Nevertheless its developer, the programmer, denied it presented a threat.

"ICEBlock is similar to crowdsourcing police locations, which every notable navigation app, including Apple's own Maps app," he commented.

"This represents constitutionally protected expression under the First Amendment of the American Constitution."

Joshua Aaron - who has worked in the software field for many years - previously explained he created the app out of worry over a surge in ICE activities.

"I closely monitored pretty closely during the prior leadership and then I heard the rhetoric during the campaign for the second," he said.

"I started thinking about what was about to transpire and what I could achieve to ensure public safety."

Government Reaction

The White House and FBI had condemned the application after it was released in spring and installations rose.