House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-OK) have sent letters to Apple and Google about mobile applications that allow users to anonymously report and track federal law enforcement officers. The committee expressed concern about the risks these apps pose to the safety of officers, their families, and ongoing operations.
According to the letters, these apps make public sensitive information about law enforcement personnel from agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. One application mentioned, ICEBlock, was reportedly used by a gunman in September before a fatal shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas. Following intervention from the Department of Justice, platforms hosting ICEBlock removed it after the incident.
The committee members wrote: “The Committee on Homeland Security is investigating mobile applications (apps) potentially hosted by [Apple and Google] that enable users to anonymously report and track the movement of federal law enforcement, including 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 continued: “[Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store host] apps that allow users to report and disseminate data to reveal the location and identification of DHS law enforcement and their movements. These tools risk the safety of these officers, their families, and the operations they are conducting. As you are aware, one of these apps, ICEBlock, was used by a gunman to track the movement of ICE agents prior to a deadly shooting in September at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas. Following that incident and intervention from the U.S. Department of Justice, companies that hosted ICEBlock removed the app from their platforms. To be clear, the Committee is a strong supporter of all Americans’ right to free speech. However, that right is not absolute. Accordingly, the U.S. Supreme Court in Brandenberg v. Ohio ruled: ‘Freedoms of speech and press do not permit a State to forbid advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.’”
In conclusion: “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… We appreciate your commitment to working collaboratively with the Committee to address these critical issues and ensure the safety of federal law enforcement, their families, and lawful immigration enforcement operations.”
Earlier this week on December 3rd, the committee held a hearing focused on increasing anti-law enforcement sentiment nationwide which has been linked with more threats against police personnel. Law enforcement witnesses testified during this hearing about how doxing negatively affects morale as well as operational effectiveness.
Recent incidents include a September shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas where two individuals died while two others were injured; this attack is being investigated by the FBI as targeted violence against law enforcement officers. In October it was reported that gangs in Mexico had placed bounties on ICE officers' lives as well as senior Border Patrol agents’ lives. State and local agencies have also faced threats; for example on July 7th there was an armed attack at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen Texas injuring several officers including one from McAllen Police Department; another attack occurred July 4th when eleven assailants targeted an ICE detention center in Alvarado Texas resulting in injury for a local officer.
