Was curious so Iooked up the app’s site.
Apparently the devs claim they can’t release it on Android because “There’s no way to be anonymous on the play store”, but it’s even more impossible to be anonymous on the platform they’ve released. That’s how you know the developer is incredibly stupid and/or shady as hell- because they’ve never even heard of Fdroid?
Makes me think the app is a troll/trojan horse (not as in infection, trojan horse as in it has alterior motives)
The Drumpf crew “losing it” over the app just makes it more questionable. They love to create a firestorm so people talk about the thing “they definitely don’t want you to use!!” to get people to do things…
they mentioned that its because push notifications require device id and that would make it easy to be tracked if aubpoenaed.
Interesting, especially with GrapheneOS people shooting it down immediately to call them out on their baloney.
This is a really good comment
Thanks. Remember to always question everything. Especially when that -something- sounds like BS.
This gives honeypot vibes. IOS only with no way to access via browser?
It’s going to be filled with false warnings from MAGA idiots and trolls…
I love how the Streisand Effect works. They just made this app the hottest thing out there.
It’s closed source, and the build and publishing pipeline isn’t transparent.
For me that makes this no different than a potential ICE honey pot
Haven’t followed it much (EU), can you elaborate who did what and what can be done potentially?
the honey pot for what? people who don’t like ice? that makes no sense
Secret police would probably have an interest in lists of people downloading an app tracking their movements no? Particularly if it was downloaded to a mobile tracking device they carry with themselves at most times.
They could argue that attempting to track ICE is illegal, and all those using the app are to be arrested and tried for their crimes.
can’t even find “Joshua Aaron” on linked in or github. feels a little sus. my moneys on honey pot
which is exactly what this whole ‘meltdown’ frame for the pr hints at. republicans know how to use publicity stunts to get what they want.
Is the app foss?
No, and even worse, its only for apple devices lmao. These kids are so unserious in their activism it would be funny if it werent so sad. If shit hits the fan, this stuff will go down instantly and im sure it has no backup plan for a Tor based or p2p service. Activists in the US should start using Briar. This situation is exactly what it was made for and people have to get their tech game up fast or they will be done for. Get a shitty 80$ android phone if you only have an iphone. Install a panic trigger app that will wipe the phone if you are in trouble.
On ICEBlocks website it says:
Modeled after Waze but for ICE sightings, the app ensures user privacy by storing no personal data, making it impossible to trace reports back to individual users.
Which worries me, because if its closed source then thats a worthless promise and actually makes the app a perfect candidate for a honeypot or backdoor.
apple is the majority of the market, no? so if e.g. a company wanted to get a product out for a client asap, apple would be the market to aim for.
im not a developer or a genius but I’m pretty sure you can write an app once using a framework like react native or whatever and then compile it for both android and ios and optionally release them along with the source code used to compile them
Turn of your capitalism brain ffs. This is not the place for companies and markets. If there is a financial interest then the app is worthless by design. iOS is not a trustable platform for anything security related so obviously you shouldnt use it for anything that concerns your physical safety. Dont forget, apple will always bend the knee to governments in the end.
You see “market” and think capitalism. By market, I meant, market-share. More users of apple products than android. So if a developer wanted greater reach…
Android has the greatest mobile OS market share by a massive margin.
But Apple users are far more likely to spend money on apps, making Apple the most lucrative target for mobile developers to target first.
I don’t know, don’t Apple have a reasonable track record of pushing back against governments? I personally have even less faith in the security of android based devices or Android phone manufacturers.
Apple have a reasonable track record of pushing back against governments
Only when it comes to individual consumer cases like terrorists or other crimes. When it comes to large scale political movements then they are very quick to lend authoritarian governments a hand, see for example their cooperation with the CCP to suppress the Hong Kong protests. But they have also always cooperated with police to some degree and this has only gotten worse.
Forbes for the lack of a better source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2024/10/09/apple-sells-privacy-to-consumers-but-its-quietly-helping-police-use-iphones-for-surveillance/
There’s a widespread perception that Apple has a combative relationship with law enforcement after the company refused to help the FBI hack into the iPhone of the shooter in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attacks. But since then, it has ramped up collaboration with police through the conference and other meetings with agencies at both Cupertino HQ and its Elk Grove campus, as well as a variety of previously unreported projects helping cops use iPhones, Macs, Apple Vision Pro and CarPlay, the emails show. Most of these projects have not been announced publicly.
Apple declined to comment.
People just love believing in Apple for some weird reasons.
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Shouldn’t be an app. It should be a site accessible using vpn and private browsing with an appropriate browser. Nobody should have to worry about the Stasi finding the app on their phone regardless of the situation.
Can’t it be both?
While this is true, most people are not so tech savvy, maybe giving an option to mask app Icon to user choice can help it hide better.
going to a website (not tech savvy enough for this) vs going to the settings on an app and select a new icon (yay anyone can do it)
While I agree, in this particular case I think it’s a good idea.
I would imagine this is very similar to marking a cop on Waze and completely legal which is why they are throwing a hissy fit.
dont they have site as well, just incase they decide to shut the apps.
Sweet. I appreciate that their reaction has Streisand-effected this app into my awareness.
“[the app] basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs”
When it comes to painting targets on backs, better them then innocent civilians.
Lol.
R’s have not only painted targets, they’ve made ads, and joked about killing civilians and anyone other than MAGAts
Greene in an ad for her 2020 campaign cocked an assault rifle as she warned “antifa terrorists” to stay out of her district
Masters, a venture capitalist and favorite of Trump-loving billionaire Peter Thiel, has featured guns prominently throughout his primary campaign. He responded to President Biden’s promise on Monday to crack down on “ghost guns,” which are homemade and untraceable, by tweeting a picture of a “ghost gun” he recently built himself. “Very legal & very cool,” he wrote.
https://www.indy100.com/politics/eric-greitens-campaign-ad-gun
“There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.”
“I look forward to the day that Democrats are so rare, we have to hunt them with dogs,”
Edit: and for the record, Blake Masters is a piece of shit buddy of both elon and Vance and they are all tied together in their hate for democracy and love of Curtis Yarvin and the plot to destroy western civilization. (Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/04/inside-the-new-right-where-peter-thiel-is-placing-his-biggest-bets)
Ice and snowflakes always seem to go so well with one another.
They could try not being brown shirts. Problem solved.
I love the quote about how it is putting federal agents in danger…and I sort of think that they are doing that themselves.
Good, those agents are playing a dangerous game and you should know if you play with fire your going get burned. Its a matter of time before they try to kidnap the wrong person, and that person decides its better to die in America then it is to go to a camp then deported.
which is great for necessitating the need to give absolute militant power to police forces. It’s like… the PR of him having a ‘meltdown’ is for a reason or something.
PR for who? Who is on the fence about ICE?
Probably lots of people in red states. Farmers for instance, people who generally buy the Republican bullshit, but may personally rely heavily on immigrant workers. ICE puts them in a really tough position.
Anyone have a link to the app/website? I’d like to follow some among honing my horn and warning folks.
Is this only on Apple? Kind of lame.
This is IOS only owing to Android play store collecting a device identifier; the creator wanted complete anonymity
Quote from some other place people were discussing it. Unfortunately no source on it.
fdroid?
There are other stores besides the playstore…
It’s not about the store, it’s about the notification.
As mentioned in the Time article:
the app is not available on Android because it “requires a device ID in order to send push notifications, which requires a user account and a password.”
Its totally possible to send notification without having user account, see firebase.
You don’t need a user account or password to receive a push notification.
You just need to have the app installed. The app can be configured by the developer to receive push notifications.
There are ways around that
Good old firebase. Notifications are not entirely device local on android, or something like that.
Thanks, but I’m not the developer of the app so that’s not really relevant for me.
i don’t think this other commenter was calling you out. i think they were just bringing up a point of discussion that’s relevant to the point you brought up
There is side loading, they can just release it on GitHub.
That’s not how push notifications on android work.
That doesn’t have anything to do with how you install the app.
It has to do with receiving notifications from the app in a privacy-preserving way. Unless the app is running with a server connection 24/7 (RIP battery life) you need to rely on the OS to deliver notifications.
It is only for iOS. I haven’t found a similar app for Android.
It’s important to buy devices that respect your privacy.
I’m happy they’re scared.
This app sounds exceedingly useful to me.
It sounds like a honeypot to me. But I would be happy to be proven wrong.
Edit: and it’s gone?
Looking at the reviews, ignoring the mega hats, it seems part of the app does not work from time to time
