Digital watchdog wants answers on federal crackdown of ICE monitoring apps
Source: Courthouse News Service
November 20, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A nonprofit digital rights advocacy group sued the departments of Justice and Homeland Security in federal court Thursday for information about the government’s demands to remove apps that track immigration enforcement actions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed the complaint in the Northern District of California, pressing the departments to disclose the demands and communications to tech companies.
After early October correspondence with the federal agencies, Apple, Google and Meta removed apps and webpages including ICE Block, Red Dot, and DelCER which allow the public to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection activities.
EFF staff attorney Mario Trujillo said in an email that many of the apps and pages were relatively new. “ICEBlock, for example, only came online in April,” he said. “And [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem started making veiled threats against it as early as June 30, 2025.”
Using the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the communications, EFF argued the removal of information may cause First Amendment violations. “The government’s actions are the subject of intense media attention and raise important legal questions,” EFF says in the complaint. “Documenting law enforcement activities occurring in public and disseminating that information to the broader public is protected First Amendment activity.”
Read more: https://courthousenews.com/digital-watchdog-wants-answers-on-federal-crackdown-of-ice-monitoring-apps/
Link to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) PRESS RELEASE - EFF Demands Answers About ICE-Spotting App Takedowns
Link to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) COMPLAINT (PDF) - https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/EFF-ICE-lawsuit.pdf
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