The Department of Homeland Security is pressuring tech companies to identify owners of social media accounts critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The New York Times.
This is consistent with other recent reports, with Bloomberg pointing to five instances in which the Department of Homeland Security attempted to identify owners of anonymous Instagram accounts, withdrawing subpoenas after owners sued. And a Washington Post article explained that the Department of Homeland Security is increasingly using administrative subpoenas, which do not require a judge’s approval, to target Americans.
Now the NYT reports that a previously rare practice has become increasingly common in recent months, with the department sending hundreds of such subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta. The subpoenas reportedly focused on accounts that did not have real names attached and either criticized ICE or described the locations of ICE agents.
Google, Meta, and Reddit have reportedly complied, at least in some cases. Reflecting past comments, Google said it would notify users of these subpoenas when possible and withdraw them if the subpoenas were “broad.”
