ICEBlock, an iPhone app that allows users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, has rocketed to one of the coveted top spots in Apple’s U.S. App Store rankings. The upshot: Criticism from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi helped get it there.
Most of ICEBlock’s users — about 20,000 — were in Los Angeles, where ICE raids have become commonplace over recent weeks, according to CNN. Following Bondi’s remarks late Monday, the app went viral overnight. As of Tuesday afternoon, the app is now one of the most downloaded free iPhone apps in the United States.
With ICEBlock, users can lawfully share information about where they have seen ICE within a 5-mile radius of their location. The app also sends notifications when ICE agents are sighted near the user’s location.Â
The app does not collect or store any user data, which TechCrunch confirmed by analyzing the app’s network traffic as part of a test.
