Google sent personal and financial information of student journalist to ICE
3 months ago
- #Privacy
- #Tech
- #Surveillance
- Google provided ICE with personal data of Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a British student and journalist, without a judge-approved subpoena.
- Data handed over included usernames, physical addresses, IP addresses, phone numbers, and financial details linked to his Google account.
- The subpoena included a gag order and lacked specific justification, coinciding with the revocation of Thomas-Johnson's student visa.
- Administrative subpoenas, used by federal agencies without judicial oversight, can request metadata to de-anonymize online accounts.
- Tech companies are not legally obligated to comply with administrative subpoenas, unlike court orders.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation urged major tech companies to challenge DHS subpoenas and protect user privacy and speech.
- Thomas-Johnson highlighted concerns over government and Big Tech surveillance and its implications for resistance and privacy.