US lawmakers send letter to Google and Apple CEOs, say: Tell us what you are doing to remove these apps – The Times of India

Lawmakers on the US House Committee on Homeland Security have reportedly sent letters to the CEOs of Google and Apple, demanding a detailed account of their efforts to remove apps used to track federal immigration officers. In the letters, sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple head Tim Cook, the committee leaders cited the app ICEBlock, which had been used to monitor US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The committee pointed out that hosting such apps “risk[s] jeopardizing the safety of DHS personnel” (Department of Homeland Security).According to a report by Reuters, the letters urgently requested that the tech giants ensure these apps cannot be utilised to target officers or block lawful immigration enforcement activities. Lawmakers have told the companies to give a brief on the actions by December 12.

Apple and Google remove ICE apps from apps stores

The action follows persistent concerns from earlier this year that these digital tools allow users to…