What is new in ICE Watch

ICE Watch started as a way to swipe through documented ICE incidents and unidentified agents, taking massive inspiration from dating apps like Tinder.

The initial beta test proved to be very popular, and we're now using the confidence of that beta to turn this into our public-facing method for the public to contribute to the largest database on ICE agents and activities.

Now, you can help us document ICE, whether you were on the scene or not.

Here is what is new.

Missions

Open the app and you land on a board of focused jobs. This is our first push to gamify the fight against ICE, and more updates will follow to expand this.

In this update:

• Find footage for an incident that has none.
• Grab a still image of an agent from a clip.
• Log a vehicle type or a license plate.
• Note an identifying mark on an agent.
• Pin down where something happened.
• Reach new additions from within agent and incident pages.
• Achievements for work done.
• Leaderboards to compete with others.
• Daily streaks.
• Revamped incident pages
• Incident map

Every contribution earns points, and when your work is confirmed the points double. You climb from Newcomer to Keeper of the record, build a daily streak, and see where you stand on the leaderboard. It is not a game, but it is built to feel like one, because the work is real and it should feel worth doing.

Verify: nothing goes on the record unchecked

Members cross-check each other, while admins oversee final verification. When someone adds a detail, it goes into a queue for others to confirm from a different vantage point, and only then does it move toward the record.

The new verify tab will feed incidents for members to read over and confirm if the reported incident matches the available evidence.

We have added a hidden auditing system. Upon sign up, you will be secretly assigned to one of an undisclosed number of groups, every piece of evidence added to incidents and agents must be verified by one member of each of these groups as well as a member of the administration team.

There is no way for users to know which group they are assigned to.

Incident pages that show the whole picture

Open an incident and you now see the full record, in an even more efficient manner than held in the full record. We're so happy with the incident layout that we will reuse it on the larger ICE List database.

The images of agents will be scrollable at the top of the incidents, as well as a tally of how many agents were involved and how many of those agents we have identified. Below that, a clear panel shows what is on file and what is still needed, with a one-tap action to fill each gap.

Incident pages now remind members what information is missing, and how they may be able to help us find that information. Every record has its own link now, so you can send someone straight to a specific incident.

A map of what people are reporting

There is now a map of incidents recorded. It plots thousands of community-reported sightings across the country, clustered so you can see where activity is being reported and zoom into your area. Tap a marker to read the report, and there is a button right there to report ICE activity yourself. These are community reports, unverified until they are checked, and turning them into confirmed incidents is exactly the kind of work the missions exist for.

Installable app

ICE Watch is also installable as a real Android app, hosted by us rather than a store, with no ads, no trackers, and no access to your location. The only thing that leaves your phone is a tip you choose to send.

Built by the public, for the public

The ICE List takes no paywalls, no advertising, and no institutional money. It runs on the public, which is the only kind of funding no one can pressure or shut off. That independence is what lets it name agents and map enforcement without flinching. The app is the toolbox, and the record is built by all of us. If you can, help keep it online. Any amount keeps it running and independent, and paying gets you nothing extra, it is purely support.