According to new reports, relayed by TechCrunch, the Department of Homeland Security has been quietly demanding that tech companies share user information about critics of the Trump administration.
The Homeland Security used administrative subpoenas to get info on Trump critics
The source claims that several cases over the recent months have surfaced. Homeland Security allegedly relied on the use of administrative subpoenas in order to get identifiable information about individuals who run anonymous Instagram accounts with posts about ICE immigration raids in their neighborhoods.
Those same subpoenas also demand information about people who have criticized Trump officials or protested government policies.
It is worth noting that these are not judicial subpoenas authorized by a judge. Those subpoenas have a lot more weight to them. Administrative subpoenas are issued by federal agencies and allow investigators to seek a wealth of information about individuals from tech and phone companies. Such subpoenas don’t need a judge’s consent or oversight.
Administrative subpoenas are limited, but they do provide a lot of info regardless
Administrative subpoenas cannot be used to obtain the contents of someone’s emails, online searches, or location data. They can, however, be used to demand information specifically about the user.
What do we mean by that? Well, they can get information about what time a user logs in, from where, using which devices, and revealing the email addresses as well, along with some other information.
Considering that administrative subpoenas are not greenlit by a judge, it’s up to companies whether they want to provide the data to government agencies or not.
One such example was highlighted
TechCrunch did note one such example, which was initially reported by Bloomberg. In that case, the Homeland Security requested the identity of an anonymous Instagram account called @montocowatch. That account says its goal is to share resources to help protect immigrant rights and due process across Montgomery County in Pennsylvania.
The Homeland Security ultimately withdrew the subpoena without providing an explanation, after the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the account owner, said there was no evidence of any wrongdoing.
There were at least four other such cases, according to Bloomberg. Meta spokesperson, Francis Brennan, did not say if Meta ultimately provided any information about the account to Homeland Security.
Details regarding another administrative subpoena include Google
A newer report from The Washington Post, which surfaced yesterday, talked about another administrative subpoena, which was used to get information form Google about an American retiree, after he sent a ceritical email to Homeland Security’s lead attorney, Joseph Dernback. The retiree’s home was visited by federal agents after the fact. Google spokesperson, Katelin Jabbari, told TechCrunch that the company pushes back against improper subpoenas, “as we did in this instance,” referring to the subpoena from The Washington Post’s article.
The post Tech Companies Pressured to Share Data on Trump Critics, According to Reports appeared first on Android Headlines.
