The company has pulled apps that permitted users to identify observations of officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The company declared it had removed ICEBlock from its App Store after police alerted them about potential "security concerns" linked to this app and "comparable applications".
According to a announcement provided to press agencies, the top law enforcement official the official had "requested" the app's removal claiming it was "created to put ICE officers at harm".
The programmer argued that such allegations were "demonstrably incorrect" and charged the company of "capitulating to an authoritarian regime".
History of the Disputed App
The application is among several applications released recently in answer to heightened immigration enforcement activities across the US.
Critics - such as the developer of the app - accuse the authorities of exploiting its powers and "spreading terror" to US streets.
The free application operates by revealing the movements of immigration officers. It has been downloaded over a one million instances in the America.
Safety Concerns
Nonetheless, officials argued it was being employed to focus on ICE officers, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation stating that the suspect who targeted an ICE facility in Texas in last month - killing two detainees - had employed related software to monitor the activities of officers and their vehicles.
According to their announcement, Apple stated: "We developed the App Store to be a secure and reliable platform to discover software.
"Following information we've obtained from police about the potential dangers linked to ICEBlock, we have eliminated it and similar apps from the digital platform."
Developer's Response
However its developer, the programmer, refuted it presented a threat.
"The software is similar to crowd sourcing traffic enforcement, which every notable navigation app, including the company's proprietary navigation software," he stated.
"This constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."
Joshua Aaron - who has been employed in the software field for a long time - previously explained he developed the software out of anxiety over a surge in ICE activities.
"I closely watched very carefully during the prior leadership and then I paid attention to the discourse during the political contest for the current," he said.
"My brain started considering what was going to happen and what I could accomplish to ensure public safety."
Administration Position
The executive branch and federal law enforcement had denounced the software after it launched in recent months and usage grew.
