The Department of Homeland Security has increased pressure on technology companies to reveal the identities of social media account owners who criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This information comes from recent reporting, which indicates the department has sought to identify the owners of anonymous Instagram accounts in multiple cases. In those instances, the department withdrew its subpoenas after the account owners filed lawsuits.
A growing practice involves Homeland Security’s use of administrative subpoenas, which do not require a judge’s approval, to target American citizens. This tactic, once used sparingly, has reportedly become more common in recent months. The department has sent hundreds of these subpoenas to companies including Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta.
The subpoenas have focused on accounts that lack an attached real name and have either criticized ICE or described the locations of ICE agents. Reports indicate that Google, Meta, and Reddit have complied with these requests in at least some instances. Google has stated that it notifies users of such subpoenas when possible and challenges those it considers to be excessively broad.