The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas seeking to expose anti-ICE accounts

The Department of Homeland Security has increased pressure on technology companies to identify social media account holders critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the New York Times.

This reflects other recent reports, however Bloomberg, pointing to five cases It has internal security He sought to identify the owners of anonymous Instagram accountswith the administration withdrawing the subpoenas after their owners filed a lawsuit. And a Washington Post story Describe the Department of Homeland Security’s increasing use of administrative subpoenas — which do not require a judge’s approval — to target Americans.

Now the New York Times says the practice, once used sparingly, has become increasingly common in recent months, with the department sending hundreds of such subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta. The subpoenas reportedly focused on accounts that did not have a real name attached and criticized ICE or described the location of ICE agents.

Google, Meta, and Reddit have reportedly complied in at least some cases. Reiterating previous comments, Google said it notifies users of these subpoenas when it can, and that it responds when subpoenas are “overly broad.”