Apple Blocks ICEBlock App: The Power of 'Law and Order' Demands Obedience
The 'ICEBlock' app, designed to help undocumented immigrants avoid ICE encounters, was swiftly removed from the App Store. MSNBC's framing suggests Apple merely responded to a 'request.' Yet, this swift action highlights the cozy relationship between Big Tech and state power when 'national security' (read: immigrant detention) is on the line. While platforms frequently cite 'community guidelines'
to deplatform dissent, state pressure seems to operate on its own expedited schedule, bypassing due process entirely. Odd, isn’t it, how 'freedom of information' and 'user choice' suddenly become less important when protecting human beings from deportation is the goal? We're reminded that the 'free market' always seems freest for those in power to get what they want. One might wonder where this
same swift, compliant corporate response is when activists request the removal of hate speech apps.