Kristi Noem is squeezing the most powerful social media companies to unmask Americans who criticize ICE agents . The Department of Homeland Security has sent out hundreds of subpoenas to the largest technology firms in Silicon Valley demanding the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of account holders linked to anti-ICE activity, according to a bombshell report from the New York Times . Google , Meta , Reddit , X and Discord have received subpoenas in recent months. All of the companies except the latter have begun complying with at least some of the DHS requests.
Homeland Security Subpoenas Anonymous Accounts
Homeland Security asked the companies to identify details of accounts that do not have a real person’s name. These accounts have not only criticized immigration agents but also published the locations of ICE agents. ‘When we receive a subpoena, our review process is designed to protect user privacy while meeting our legal obligations,’ a Google spokesman told the Times. Google said it notifies users when their accounts are subpoenaed by law enforcement, unless a legal order prohibits disclosure. ‘We review every legal demand and push back against those that are overbroad,’ the spokesman added.
Technology companies are under no legal obligation to comply with requests and can choose whether to provide user information. Some companies notified users whose data was flagged and gave them approximately two weeks to oppose the subpoena in court. When reached for comment, DHS refused to address questions about the request but claimed it had ‘broad administrative subpoena authority.’
DHS Defends Data Grab as Safety Measure
Attorneys for Homeland Security argued in court that the user information is needed to keep ICE agents safe as they complete deportations. Civil liberties attorneys claim Noem’s latest decision to gather the data of her critics violates years of legal precedent and free speech. ‘The government is taking more liberties than they used to,’ Steve Loney, an attorney representing users whose social media account was subpoenaed by the DHS, told the Times. ‘It’s a whole other level of frequency and lack of accountability.’
Loney’s legal organization, the American Civil Liberties Union, has previously challenged a government subpoena in court. Immigration agents have warned ICE-protesters in Minneapolis and Chicago that they were being recorded and identified by the agency.
