Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
Several new apps, like ICEbreaker and Eyes Up, have appeared on the Google Play Store after previous immigration enforcement-tracking tools were removed.
ICEbreaker provides crowdsourced alerts about nearby reported ICE activity.
Eyes Up focuses on documenting immigration enforcement activity and can also be accessed via its website, which remains outside app store control.
With the Trump administration feverishly cracking down on immigration irregularities through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, several apps like ICEBlock and Red Dot had popped up to crowdsource and alert users of nearby ICE activity, especially in the wake of their frequently aggressive tactics. These apps were removed from app stores, but newer apps have now taken their place.
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Social media users have now spotted apps like ICEbreaker: ICE Map & Alerts on the Google Play Store. This app claims to inform its users with real-time updates on reported ICE sightings in selected areas. Users can also report a location when they see something. The app claims it highlights approximate squares rather than precise locations.
Beyond this, there’s Eyes Up on the Play Store, which reportedly documents immigration enforcement activity by allowing users to capture videos and pin them to a public map. An app of a similar name was removed from the Apple App Store, though users can continue to access the Eyes Up website, which serves the same purpose and is outside the control of any app store (and thus cannot be removed as easily).
We’ve reached out to Google for a statement on whether these apps comply with Play Store policies, and we’ll update this article as soon as we learn more. Google previously told us that Play Store policies do not allow apps that carry what it considers a high risk of abuse, and that apps featuring user-generated content must be subject to specific types of moderation.
Thanks to Himanshu Arora for the tip!
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