Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from DOJ

foxbusiness.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

511–520 of 645 posts

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

#511

Post by pseudalopex »

ajross wrote: post #489
t1234s wrote: post #483

This was the correct move from apple. Tools like this used to crowdsource location data of law enforcement can be used for malicious purposes.

As gets pointed out, that justification is post hoc; the argument wasn't made when the app was introduced, only after the ban. It's also leaning hard on "can be" and just letting the reader infer what "malicious" means. Clearly the intent is that protestors can show up to disrupt enforcement actions. Is that what you mean? If so, you should say so. But it's also just plain overbroad: the same logic applies to Waze fl…

> Clearly the intent is that protestors can show up to disrupt enforcement actions.

Was this your claim or your description of someone else's claim?

You and the ICEBlock developer compared it to Waze. People use Waze to avoid speed traps. Not protest them.

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

#512

Post by dandanua »

AlexandrB wrote: post #455
dandanua wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Overthrown by whom? Aliens? Power supports power, there is no way out of this black hole.

Not just power, but ~50% of the voting public. An "overthrow" would be highly undemocratic and it's very curious to hear the same people that claim Trump is literally Hitler talk about "overthrowing" their (democratically elected) political enemies and then "punishing collaborators". Is there no sense of self-awareness at all?

The majority, of course, can decide to get rid of democracy and transform the country into a fascists dictatorship. But in this case they can't expect democrats to treat them by their democratic rules. This is not how it works, sorry. Your self-awarness is broken, I'm afraid.

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

#513

Post by andsoitis »

komali2 wrote: post #281
andsoitis wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Give me guarantees, What’s the incentive?

Why do you need one? Or why is there always a presumption of an incentive that maps to capitalist modes? I want decentralization because States oppress people and I want resistance to that to persist, others think like me such as the inventor of the Signal protocol hence why it was invented. If you need to describe that as incentive, cool beans.

> Why do you need one? Or why is there always a presumption of an incentive that maps to capitalist modes?

it could be that I'm misinterpreting your angle, but I would just point out that "incentives" are not tied to a particular economic model. Incentives are simply things that motivate or encourage people to do something, acting as either a reward for desired behavior or a penalty for unwanted actions.

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

#514

Post by ajross »

pseudalopex wrote: post #511
ajross wrote: post #489

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As gets pointed out, that justification is post hoc; the argument wasn't made when the app was introduced, only after the ban. It's also leaning hard on "can be" and just letting the reader infer what "malicious" means. Clearly the intent is that protestors can show up to disrupt enforcement actions. Is that what you mean? If so, you should say so. But it's also just plain overbroad: the same logic applies to Waze fl…

> Clearly the intent is that protestors can show up to disrupt enforcement actions. Was this your claim or your description of someone else's claim? You and the ICEBlock developer compared it to Waze. People use Waze to avoid speed traps. Not protest them.

> People use Waze to avoid speed traps. Not protest them.

Exactly! So it is about protest then? You don't want people to show up and display their displeasure at the execution of a particular policy? Y'know, peaceably assembling and petitioning for redress of grievances and all? You don't maybe see a first amendment argument here?

Upthread commenter dropped "malicious" to imply something presumably worse, like threats to law enforcement officers that haven't been made. But if it's just about protest then we have a prior restraint on speech. And that's worse.

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

#515

Post by andsoitis »

goku12 wrote: post #198
andsoitis wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

You're dismissing the parent argument merely based on a narrow interpretation of the word complicity. The way they use it is common and correct in English language. All it needs is to aid the wrongdoing in some manner. That's exactly what you do when you choose to support and lend credence to Apple's flawed arguments on safety and thus blunt the opposition to their hostile practices. This is significant because Apple…

Thanks.

I don't know about this line of thinking. If you truly believe this, then you could point to just about anyone on earth and state they're complicit in some atrocity or oppression.

I would concede there are degrees of proximity, but this particular example, that if you are in any way contributing to Apple's success (not matter the size) that you are complicit, and by implication be held responsible, for fasicm is truly whacky in my books.

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

#516

Post by worik »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #324
x1unix wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple removed a lot of apps from the store in order to stay present in Russia. Just business

The big tech companies bent the knee (or, complied with local policies and laws) to Russia, China, Europe, etc already to do business over there, it's nothing particularly new but we are fully aware that Russia and China are not free countries, and Europe has stricter consumer / data protection laws (so it's less free for companies than the US).

> we are fully aware that Russia and China are not free countries

Pot to kettle....

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

#517

Post by worik »

sandworm101 wrote: post #70
eviks wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the first?

No idea, but i know that apple regularly responds to government takedown requests. This was from last year: https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-removes-whatsapp-threads-from... Apple even has a website about it: (there dozens of such takedowns each year.) https://www.apple.com/legal/transparency/app-removal-request...

Apple's "transparency" website is a website, but adds very little transparency

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

#518

Post by worik »

archon810 wrote: post #507
mrinterweb wrote: post #15

Google is making it so sideloading APKs on Android is no longer possible. This is one of many great reasons why that should not happen.

This is just flat out false. They're requiring developer registration. Sideloading is still possible if the developer key is registered.

> Sideloading is still possible if the developer key is registered

To all intents and purposes it is not allowed, then. Google becomes the gate keeper by controlling registration

"Trust us"

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

#519

Post by pseudalopex »

snickerbockers wrote: post #162
kumarvvr wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Biden's rhetoric against his political opponents was no less "fascist" than Trump's. Can you point to any speeches that Biden gave, that talk about sending troops to republican majority cities? > Trump doesn't hold a candle to FDR when it comes to being an authoritarian He holds a lighthouse.

>that talk about sending troops to republican majority cities not that specifically but he did actually threaten to use nuclear weapons against american citizens. although FWIW it looks to me more like a manifestation of his advanced-stage alzheimer's than an intentional threat. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SHLHkmWoYDU >He holds a lighthouse. FDR is the one who illegally imprisoned 120k ethnically-japanese people (…

> not that specifically but he did actually threaten to use nuclear weapons against american citizens. although FWIW it looks to me more like a manifestation of his advanced-stage alzheimer's than an intentional threat.

The video showed he said people who wish to use arms against the government need F-15s and may need nuclear weapons. And versions of this claim are common from all ages.

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

#520

Post by worik »

instagib wrote: post #368
layer8 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google disputes that: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/09/lets-talk-...

Unverified developers can still use adb to install whatever they choose per the link: “How does developer verification impact my use of Android Studio? We are working to ensure these changes don’t have an impact on your day-to-day workflow so you can continue building your apps as smoothly as possible. Participating in developer verification will not affect your experience in Android Studio, the official IDE for Andr…

> We are working to ensure these changes don’t have an impact on your day-to-day workflow

Lies

The workflow of Free Software developers, developing consumer software (a vital part of the software ecosystem) will be entirely jammed up and subject to the capricious whims of Google

Post reply on HN