Free speech advocates warn the subpoenas threaten long-standing protections for anonymous speech.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/60430626

The Department of Homeland Security is pushing Silicon Valley to strip anonymity from Americans who track or criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency has fired off hundreds of subpoenas demanding names, email addresses, and phone numbers tied to anti-ICE social media accounts, the New York Times reported Friday.

Unlike traditional warrants, administrative subpoenas do not require approval from a judge before they are issued. Instead of seeking court authorization first, DHS can sign and send the demands directly to tech companies—a power civil liberties advocates say is now being deployed far more aggressively.

Google, Meta, Reddit, and Discord received subpoenas targeting anonymous accounts that posted about ICE activity, the Times reported.

Archive report: https://archive.is/QW78b#selection-723.0-731.17

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
    7·
    6 hours ago

    Better yet, use an off-shore instance outside of US control with third-country VPN. The DHS could only get the IP of the foreign instance. If somehow the foreign instance cooperates and gives them your IP, that would be the VPN IP. Then the foreign VPN provider would have to cooperate for DHS to get your IP. Your ISP would probly give you up.