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Apple has taken down an app that uses crowdsourcing to flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents after coming under pressure from the Trump administration. ICEBlock, a free iPhone-only app that lets users anonymously report and monitor activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, was no longer available on Apple’s App Store as of Friday. The developer had confirmed its removal on Thursday evening. We just received a message from Apples App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to objectionable content’, ICEBlock said in a social media post. The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and well fight this!” The developer said last month that it had more than 1 million users. Even though it has been removed from the app marketplace, those who have already downloaded the app should still be able to use it. The Associated Press reached out to ICEBlock for further comments on Friday. Apple said it removed apps like ICEBlock due to the potential for risks that were raised by law enforcement. We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” the company said in a statement. Based on information weve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed that her office had reached out to Apple on Thursday, demanding that they remove ICEBlock from their App Store.” In a statement sent to The Associated Press, she claimed that ICEBlock was designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs. Officials said last month that a gunman who opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas had searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents. Bondi has previously said that crowdsourced apps that allow people to communicate about the location of law enforcement officers are not allowed, specifically referring to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron in a July interview on Fox News. We are looking at him and he better watch out because thats not a protected speech, Bondi said at the time. But advocates say that tracking ICE activity is a form of free speech protected by the First amendment. They maintain that such platforms are primarily used among individuals looking to protect themselves from surprise raids or potential harassment from immigration officials. Downloads of apps like ICEblock have surged as the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement. ICEBlock and other crowdsourcing apps like it are being targeted, but crowdsourced technology has become common in the app store, and is still available through other apps. Navigation apps like Waze or Google Maps for Android phones have been in use for years. Part of their draw is that users are alerted to police speed traps by other drivers. Users of those apps have suggested they can be used to post updates about icy conditions. Waze and Google Maps have not been targeted by U.S. officials.
Category:
E-Commerce
Artificial intelligence is doing more than just automating workflows in 2025: Its dismantling the very idea of education. Once seen as one-time achievements, a bachelors degree, a professional certificate, or an annual corporate training session, are no longer guarantees of relevance in a world where knowledge ages almost as quickly as technology itself. Nearly half of talent development leaders surveyed in LinkedIns 2025 Workplace Learning Report say they see a skills crisis, with organizations under pressure to equip employees for both present and future roles through dynamic skill-building, particularly in AI and generative AI. Likewise, the AI in education market that includes K12, higher education and corporate training is projected to grow to between $32.27 billion by 2030 and $127.2 billion by 2035, driven by a surge in demand for personalized learning in workforce-aligned corporate skills training and scalable edtech solutions. Were seeing skills become obsolete in two to three years instead of decades. Demand on our platform shows professionals know learning cant stop at graduation in an AI-driven world, says Hugo Sarrazin, CEO of Udemy, one of the worlds largest online learning platforms. He predicts that universities will increasingly serve as launchpads, awarding degrees alongside lifelong digital memberships. Think of it like Netflix, but for education, he says. Sarrazin says that every minute, roughly five to eight people sign up for an AI course on the platform. According to Udemys 2026 Global Learning and Skills Trends Report, AI-related enrollments have surged fivefold in the past year, surpassing 11 million globally. The study also found rising interest in AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and GitHub Copilot, underscoring a strong demand for practical AI proficiency. That surge has likely bolstered Udemys market growth, with the company reporting $199.9 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2025, a 3% increase from a year earlier. Companies are realizing employees who can use AI fluidly while thinking critically about its risks, outputs, and impacts will drive the biggest business gains. Were seeing budgets shift from annual training events to continuous, integrated skill-building happening in daily workflows, helping employees learn skills precisely when theyre needed, Sarrazin says. Skill fitness and adaptability in the AI era Sarrazin describes this shift as the dawn of the skill fitness era, where learning becomes akin to working out: AI fluency is strength, critical thinking is cardio, and communication is flexibility. Education is no longer a stopover, but a lifelong regimen. In fitness, you dont go to the gym once and then declare yourself fit for life. But, thats how we have traditionally approached learning, he says. But skills only stick when theyre exercised in contextAI is enabling this kind of practice at scale. Udemys AI Role Play, launched in May of this yaer, enables employees to rehearse real-world scenarios such as negotiation, feedback conversations, or conflict resolution through AI-driven simulations. I anticipate in the coming year, the use case of play and test runs using AI will explode, going beyond conversations to action, Sarrazin says. Gen Z, poised to dominate the workforce, recognizes that in an AI-saturated world, its real advantage is adaptability. According to Udemys Gen Z in the Workplace report, 84% of Gen Z professionals now prioritize developing adaptive skills such as decision-making, communication, and critical thinking over purely technical training. Gen Z grew up with technology that evolved constantly, Sarrazin says. Theyre becoming the first generation thats truly AI-native while remaining distinctly human-centered. Cautious integration for a responsible future While AI integrations are set to make learning easier, experts caution that it is critical to separate genuine progress from marketing noise. While the technology holds great promise for improving education quality, its full impact is still being measured, says Shai Reshef, education expert and president of University of the People. Responsible institutions must ensure that claims are backed by real evidence and that their deployment actually benefits students globally, especially those turning to online options out of necessity. He added that while personalization through AI is a powerful opportunity, it also carries risks of isolation and bias. If the underlying datasets within AI-powered education systems are flawed, or if algorithms reinforce existing inequalities, the technology might amplify problems instead of solving them. Kavitta Ghai, CEO of Nectir, echoed the concern, noting that a single poorly designed AI-powered education rollout can spark headlines about AI hurting learning, even though the reality is more nuanced. Its all about how responsibly institutions deploy and maintain it, Ghai says. The responsible path is running controlled pilots, measuring outcomes, and iterating. She also notes that while AI tools have made it easier to gain workforce and technical skills, formal education and degrees still play a critical role in developing strong fundamentals and depth of expertise.The real danger is that students and professionals might stop learning how to recognize what good work looks like. Without that foundation, they cant judge quality or innovate, she says. The real opportunity is to use AI as a Socratic tutor; guiding individuals through mistakes, not doing the work for them. Thats what keeps critical thinking alive in an AI-first world. That perspective underscores a deeper truth: education might soon become less about consuming content and more about cultivating culture. Organizations and universities will need to treat learning as a shared value, a collective discipline that keeps pace with technological change. Like electricity or the internet, I believe AI will become an invisible infrastructure. You wont think about using AI to learn, because learning will simply be AI-enhanced by default, says Sarrazin. Rather than competing, AI and universities will complement one another, helping learners build skills in a format that works best for their unique needs.
Category:
E-Commerce
Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown were fading Friday as Republicans and Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. Senators were headed back to the Capitol for another vote on government funding on the third day of the shutdown, but there has been no sign of any real progress toward ending their standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend health care benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on a House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels. I dont know how many times youre going to give them a chance to vote no, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at a news conference Friday. He added that he would give Democratic senators the weekend to think it over. Although Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Senate’s filibuster rules make it necessary for the government funding legislation to gain support from at least 60 of the 100 senators. That’s given Democrats a rare opportunity to use their 47 Senate seats to hold out in exchange for policy concessions. The party has chosen to rally on the issue of health care, believing it could be key to their path back to power in Washington. Their primary demand is that Congress extend tax credits that were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic for health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said, Understand this, over the last few days and over the next few days, what youre going to see is more than 20 million Americans experience dramatically increased health care premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican unwillingness to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. The shutdown gamble Democrats are running the high-risk strategy of effectively voting for a government shutdown to make their stand. Trump has vowed to make it as painful as possible for them. The Republican president has called the government funding lapse an unprecedented opportunity to make vast cuts to federal agencies and potentially lay off federal workers, rather than the typical practice of furloughing them. White House budget director Russ Vought has already announced that he is withholding billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in states with Democratic senators. On Friday morning, Vought said he would withhold another $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects to extend its train system to the city’s South Side. Jeffries has displayed no signs of budging under those threats. The cruelty that they might unleash on everyday Americans using the pretense of a shutdown is only going to backfire against them, he said during an interview with The Associated Press and other outlets at the Capitol. Still, the shutdown, no matter how long it lasts, could have far-reaching effects on the economy. Roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and they could lose out on $400 million in daily wages. That loss in wages until after the government reopens could drive down wider demand for goods and services. “All around the country right now, real pain is being endured by real people because the Democrats have decided to play politics,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. Who will take the blame? The American public usually spreads the blame around to both major political parties when it comes to a government shutdown. While Trump took a significant portion of the blame during the last partial government shutdown in 2018 as he demanded funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, this standoff could end differently because now it is Democrats making the policy demands. Still, lawmakers were relentlessly trying to make their case to the American public with a constant beat of news conferences, social media videos and livestreams. Congressional leaders have been especially active. Both sides expressed confidence that the other would ultimately be found at fault. And in the House, party leaders seemed to be moving farther apart rather than closer to making a deal to end the shutdown. Jeffries on Thursday called for a permanent extension to the ACA tax credits. Meanwhile, Johnson and Thune told reporters that they would not negotiate on the tax credits until the government is reopened. Talks in the Senate A few senators have engaged in bipartisan talks about launching negotiations on extending the ACA tax credits for one year while the Senate votes to reopen the government for several weeks. But those discussions are in their early stages and appear to have little involvement from leadership. As senators prepared for their last scheduled vote for the week on Friday, they appeared resigned to allow the shutdown to continue at least into next week. Thune said that if the vote failed, he would give them the weekend to think about it before holding more votes. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, in a floor speech, called for Republicans to work with her and fellow Democrats to find common ground on the ACA subsidies, saying their expiration would impact plenty of people in states with GOP senators especially in rural areas where farmers, ranchers and small business owners purchase their own health insurance. Unfortunately, right now our Republican colleagues are not working with us to find a bipartisan agreement to prevent the government shutdown and address the health care crisis, she said. We know that even hen they float ideas which we surely do appreciate in the end the president appears to make the call. Stephen Groves and Matt Brown, Associated Press Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Joey Cappelletti contributed.
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E-Commerce
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