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Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

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Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s more about liability that specifically breaking a law. I’m not a lawyer but Apple is knowingly publishing an app that is openly helping people evade and/or break the law AND is putting Law Enforcement in danger. Seems there is some liability there.

Avoiding being where ICE agents are is not against the law. Even being in the country while eligible for deportation is not against the law. Crossing the border not at a designated point of crossing is against the law; this app is not for that.

>>Avoiding being where ICE agents are is not against the law. Sure if you are the one avoiding arrest. How about if you rob a bank and I help you evade arrest? You could make a case that these apps are doing something similar. With a good prosecutor I wouldn't want to take my chances defending myself against that.

>>Crossing the border not at a designated point of crossing is against the law; this app is not for that. True - but to argue the point - it could be used for that. If you had a map of where ICE/Border Patrol was it might aid in a successful crossing. Probably a bit OT though.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#262
ICE tracking apps put ICE agents in danger, and the same kind of app for, say, tracking Meta employees or “people who wear Team Blue T-shirts” or any other group would obviously be a danger as well. How on earth do people find this controversial..?

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#263
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also a shareholder and I'd say I'm pretty happy with Apple not needlessly getting involved in fights. The most important thing is not getting tariffed. Their reputation will be fine, no one but the terminally online are going to stop buying an iPhone because of this. Pretty sure most of their shareholders feel similarly.

Bending for fascism is fine as long as you get your dividend?

Exactly this, we are not talking the normal cycle of 4 years and then they are out, we are talking a possible "forever" fascism in the US so sticking to points of "I'm happy as long as my sticks are fine" is completey sticking your head in the sand hopping this all goes away soon.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#264
post #8

FWIW, everyone who claims that Apple fundamentally needs the centralized ability to control apps on their platforms "for everyone's safety" -- despite how that obviously and repeatedly makes them become patsies for governments all over the world to enforce their censorship regimes -- are complicit in this stuff (in addition, of course, to the people who build it at Apple...).

> are complicit in this stuff I don’t know that that is fair. This framing is designed to shame people into feeling guilty for their point of view, rather than their actions. Being complicit means to be knowingly involved in or facilitating an illegal or wrongdoing act. In my books, it requires a level of participation that I don’t think your characterization meets.

Here's a simple thought experiment.

Would have Apple done the same if it was any another country?

Probably not. They would have courts and the democratic processes to help them resist.

But in face of authoritarian government who can hurt Apple's sales the company always bows. Be it actions in China or now action in US. The motive is simply profit.

The company cannot have a centralized control to make it "safer" and then give that way if the profits are under threat. Companies should be shamed for that.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#265
post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

FWIW, this much should at least be pretty obvious: if you go far far far out of your way to do something that no one required you to do to defend something that pretty clearly leads to a specific result, you are certainly MORE complicit in the results of that action than if you take an action that you are required to do at gunpoint and which only very indirectly and at very low impact causes the result (to the point…

Well to start with no one requires anyone to get a job and pay taxes. You could just as well live off food banks and take as much money from government. Knowing that the government does this, one need not give them any money any longer. You could spend down your balance and start eating from the food bank.

It's a pretty active act to go earn money that you then fully know (completely ahead of time) that you are giving to an immoral government. Especially when you know you can draw out of that government instead.

I think what is pretty obvious is that everyone has a story where they're somehow not villains but the guy epsilon more involved in the subject is 100% the villain.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#266

ICE tracking apps put ICE agents in danger, and the same kind of app for, say, tracking Meta employees or “people who wear Team Blue T-shirts” or any other group would obviously be a danger as well. How on earth do people find this controversial..?

Is turnabout no longer fair play, then?

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The app doesn't do that. It gives people a heads up that constitution-hating armed forces are in the area, forces that can search you and tear up your home without a warrant. This is happening now. Armed and masked intruders who don't have to identify themselves should be forced out of cities. Those federal employees should be shunned for the rest of their lives for blindly enforcing the whims of a dictator.

> Armed and masked intruders You mean federal law enforcement officers > The app doesn't do that. With a name like ICEBLOCK, how would one ever come to the conclusion that the app might be blocking federal law enforcement from carrying out their sworn duties! > enforcing the whims of a dictator. You mean a president that was elected twice. The hysteria really does make me laugh.

Federal law enforcement officers who swore an oath to the country… not the president. They can and should push back against this shit.

The app doesn’t block them in any way, it just lets people see where they are active. There is no issue or law against that.

He actively disregards laws and standards to push his own agenda. He’s been indicted multiple times, and is a felon. It’s not hysteria, some people can simply see what’s happening in front of them.

He openly admires dictators and desperately seeks what they have, with varying success.

You don’t make me laugh, you make me sad.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#269

Why are people so obsessed about apps. could be a website that couldn’t easily be taken down.

Hmm, would be a shame if a major mobile operating system provider also ran a website-blocking service used by the largest web browser (Chrome) and the largest open-source web browser (Firefox).

They could even call it something like Google Safe Browsing to make it sound good to people.

Re: Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

#270
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

can website do push notification? (e.g. when ICE agents show up near your zipcode)

> can website do push notification? Text or e-mail.

Not exactly fool proof though. An adversarial government could force Google or the telecoms providers to block such email/text messages?
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