"Senior House Homeland Security Committee Republicans are seeking information from Apple and Google about mobile applications that enable users to report or track the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In letters sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, committee chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., and Oversight subcommittee chair Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., said the apps could compromise officer safety by distributing real-time location data and identifying details about federal personnel."
"The inquiry follows the removal of the ICEBlock application from Apple's App Store earlier this year after the Justice Department raised concerns about its potential use to monitor and target ICE agents. Both companies limited downloads of such apps in October. According to the lawmakers, a gunman who attacked a federal facility in Dallas in September allegedly used the app before the incident."
"The Committee seeks to better understand what measures [Apple and Google are] taking to remove these types of apps from the [Apple's App Store and Google Play Store] and to ensure that they are not used to endanger the safety of federal law enforcement officers or interfere with the legal execution of federal immigration enforcement," they wrote in the missive. Garbarino and Brecheen requested briefings by Dec. 12 detailing how the companies evaluate law enforcement-related applications, the criteria used to moderate user-submitted content and any prior communication with federal agencies about similar apps."
Republican members of the House Homeland Security Committee sent letters to Apple and Google requesting information about mobile applications that enable users to report or track Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The lawmakers said such apps could distribute real-time location data and identifying details that compromise officer safety and interfere with enforcement actions. The inquiry followed the removal of the ICEBlock app after Justice Department concerns and company download limits implemented in October. Lawmakers cited an allegation that a September Dallas federal facility attacker used an app prior to the incident. Briefings by Dec. 12 were requested on evaluation, moderation criteria and agency communications.
Read at Nextgov.com
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