Google Secretly Handed ICE Data About Pro-Palestine Student Activist
5 hours ago
- #privacy
- #free-speech
- #immigration
- International students at Cornell University, Momodou Taal and Amandla Thomas-Johnson, feared being targeted by immigration authorities for speaking out against Israel’s war on Gaza.
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) subpoenaed Google and Meta for data on Taal and Thomas-Johnson’s accounts, with Google complying before notifying Thomas-Johnson.
- ICE uses broad legal provisions to issue administrative subpoenas to tech companies, often without judicial oversight, raising concerns about privacy and abuse.
- Taal sued the Trump administration to prevent his detention, but after leaving the U.S., ICE withdrew subpoenas for his records.
- Thomas-Johnson fled the U.S. after a friend was questioned about his whereabouts; Google later complied with a subpoena for his Gmail data without prior notice.
- Legal experts criticize the lack of transparency and opportunity to challenge these subpoenas, highlighting risks to free speech and privacy.
- The article also touches on broader concerns about authoritarian tendencies in the Trump administration, including ignoring court orders and targeting press freedom.