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Apple has removed apps that enabled users to report observations of agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Apple announced it had taken down the tracking application from its App Store after law enforcement informed them about possible "safety risks" associated with this software and "similar apps".

According to a declaration sent to press agencies, the top law enforcement official Pam Bondi had "demanded" the app's elimination saying it was "developed to place immigration agents at danger".

Its developer responded that such assertions were "patently false" and alleged the company of "surrendering to an authoritarian regime".

Context of the Disputed Software

ICEBlock is among multiple apps introduced this year in reaction to heightened immigration enforcement activities across the United States.

Detractors - including the creator of ICEBlock - accuse the administration of exploiting its influence and "spreading anxiety" to American communities.

The complimentary application works by revealing the locations of ICE personnel. It has been acquired in excess of a one million occasions in the US.

Security Issues

Nevertheless, authorities contended it was being employed to target ICE officers, with the FBI saying that the individual who assaulted an enforcement office in Dallas in September - fatally shooting two persons - had utilized comparable applications to monitor the movements of personnel and their transportation.

Through an official declaration, the technology firm said: "We developed the App Store to be a secure and reliable environment to locate software.

"According to information we've received from police about the security concerns associated with ICEBlock, we have eliminated it and related programs from the App Store."

Developer's Response

However its creator, the developer, disputed it posed a threat.

"ICEBlock is no different from public reporting speed traps, which each significant mapping application, even the company's proprietary navigation software," he stated.

"This constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Mr Aaron - who has been employed in the tech industry for years - previously stated he designed the app out of concern over a spike in enforcement operations.

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

"My brain started thinking about what was going to happen and what I could do to protect individuals."

Government Reaction

The administration and federal law enforcement had criticized the software after it launched in April and usage grew.