Committee On Homeland Security Send Letters To Apple, Google On Apps Allowing Tracking Of Federal Law Enforcement

• The letter stated that the Committee on Homeland Security is investigating the mobile apps in question.
• It sought answers from Apple and Google as to the measures being taken to remove these apps from their respective app stores and to ensure that they are not used to endanger law enforcement. 
• The representatives also highlighted that a gunman used an app called ICEBlock to track the movement of ICE agents before a shooting in September at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas.

The US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security on Friday sent letters to Apple and Google concerning mobile applications that permit users to anonymously report and track federal law enforcement personnel, citing security risks.  

The letters, sent by committee Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen, were sent in light of a surge in violence against law enforcement, they said. They also added that the Committee on Homeland Security is investigating the mobile apps in question that allows users to track U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials.

“The Committee is concerned that these apps not only jeopardize the safety of DHS personnel but also enable malicious actors to incite violence and obstruct lawful government operations,” they wrote in the letter. They also sought answers from Apple and Google as to the measures being taken to remove these apps from their respective app stores and to ensure that they are not used to endanger law enforcement.

“To be clear, the Committee is a strong supporter of all Americans’ right to free speech. However, that right is not absolute, the representatives wrote.

ICEBlock And Dallas Shooting

The representative also highlighted that a gunman used an app called ICEBlock to track the movement of ICE agents before a shooting in September at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas which led to the death of two individuals in custody and injured two others.

Companies that hosted ICEBlock, including Apple, removed the app from their platforms after the shooting. Google, however, never hosted the app.

In the letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Sundar Pichai, the representatives have requested a briefing by December 12.

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