Apple is facing pressure from a former executive and senior manager over its decision to remove the ICE-spotting app, ICEBlock, from the App Store, according to The Verge.
In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Wiley Hodges says he’s “deeply disturbed” by the move, as spotted by Daring Fireball.
Here are some key points from his letter: I used to believe that Apple were unequivocally ‘the good guys.’ I passionately advocated for people to understand Apple as being on the side of its users above all else. I now feel like I must question that.
…The removal of ICEBlock without evidence of the government either providing a lawful basis for such a demand or following a legal process to effect its removal represents an erosion of this principled stance. Acceding to a government ‘demand’ without demanding that the government follow legal process in order to back up its request (or at least shedding light on how the government did follow such process) raises the question of how easily Apple will accede to other requests.
… Will Apple give data on the identities of users who downloaded the ICEBlock app to the government? Will Apple block podcasts that advocate points of view opposed to the current US administration? I imagine and hope that these are ridiculous questions, but without a clearer demonstration of Apple’s principled commitment to lawful action and due process, I feel uncertain.
I don’t know where this leaves me as an Apple customer, but I do know that it upsets me as an Apple shareholder. I am asking you and your team to more clearly explain the basis on which you made the decision to remove ICEBlock—and how the government showed good faith and strong evidence in making its demand of Apple, or that you reinstate the app in the App Store.
I hope that as a man of integrity and principle you can understand how outrageous this situation is. Even more, I hope you recognize how every inch you voluntarily give to an authoritarian regime adds to their illegitimately derived power. We are at a critical juncture in our country’s history where we face the imminent threat of the loss of our constitutional republic. It is up to all of us to demand that the rule of law rather than the whims of a handful of people—even elected ones—govern our collective enterprise. Apple and you are better than this. You represent the best of what America can be, and I pray that you will find it in your heart to continue to demonstrate that you are true to the values you have so long and so admirably espoused.
Hodges worked at Apple for more than 22 years and spent more than a decade serving as a director of marketing and product management, bringing products like Xcode and Swift to market, according to his LinkedIn profile.
On October 3, Newsweek Apple has removed the tracking app know as ICEBlock, a piece of crowdsourced iPhone software, from its App Store. The Department of Justice raised concerns that it put law enforcement officers at risk.
A post from its developer relayed Apple’s App Review message about the ban, saying, “We just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to ‘objectionable content.’ The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and we’ll fight this!”
The ICEBlock app rose to the top of the App Store’s charts this summer after being targeted by Trump administration officials, with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling it an “obstruction of justice,” and Attorney General Pam Bondi claiming it was “not a protected speech,” reports The Verge.
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