Meta, the company behind Facebook, has suspended a significant group on its platform that was targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared on X that the Department of Justice notified Facebook about the removal of these group pages used for doxing ICE agents. “I’m an agent from Chicago,” she noted.
Bondi also mentioned, “The surge of violence against ICE is fueled by various online platforms and social media campaigns that endanger ICE officers as they perform their duties.”
The attorney general emphasized the ongoing collaboration between the Department of Justice and tech companies to eliminate spaces where extremists might incite violence against federal law enforcement.
A Meta representative commented that their action was in response to a policy violation against organized harm.
The spokesperson further explained that Meta’s policy is designed to eliminate any harm to individuals, specifically excluding politicians, who might be outed in their professional roles, which includes revealing identities or locations.
There are grounds for removal from the platform if any content discloses the status of law enforcement or security personnel alongside identifiable information about them, which could include their names or photographs, according to another statement from Mehta.
Additionally, users could face removal for coordinating or condoning swatting, unless it’s in specific contexts like awareness or creative fiction.
This move follows earlier reports that Apple had removed the ICE Tracker app from its App Store, a decision that Google was said to have mirrored.
Apple took down various apps aimed at helping users monitor and evade ICE agents, among which ICEBlock was particularly notable. This app had a large user base and allowed anonymous sharing of ICE agents’ locations within a five-mile radius, promoting itself as a safe place to download such services.
Apple’s action came amid significant pressure from the Trump administration, which had posed legal threats regarding the use of ICEBlock. The company acknowledged the removal was prompted by “law enforcement agencies,” but did not specify which agencies were involved or what other apps were taken down.
There will be ongoing coverage regarding the influence of Big Tech in matters of immigration enforcement.
