Google sent personal and financial information of student journalist to ICE

Source: TechCrunch

Google handed over a trove of personal data about a student and journalist to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in response to a subpoena that had not been approved by a judge, according to a report by The Intercept.

What Google Provided

• Usernames and physical addresses
• An itemized list of services associated with the Google account of Amandla Thomas‑Johnson, a British student and journalist who briefly attended a pro‑Palestinian protest in 2024 while at Cornell University in New York
• IP addresses, phone numbers, subscriber numbers, and identities
• Credit‑card and bank‑account numbers linked to the account

The subpoena reportedly included a gag order and did not specify a justification for ICE’s request. Thomas‑Johnson previously said the demand for his data came within two hours of Cornell informing him that the U.S. government had revoked his student visa (The Guardian).

Administrative Subpoenas

Administrative subpoenas are issued directly by federal agencies without judicial approval. While they cannot compel companies to turn over the contents of emails, online searches, or location data, they can request metadata and other identifiable information (e.g., email addresses) to de‑anonymize users.

Unlike a court order, tech companies are under no obligation to provide data after receiving an administrative subpoena.

EFF’s Open Letter to Tech Companies

Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sent a letter to Amazon, Apple, Discord, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Reddit demanding that the companies stop giving data to the Department of Homeland Security (which houses ICE) in response to administrative subpoenas. The letter states:

“Based on our own contact with targeted users, we are deeply concerned your companies are failing to challenge unlawful surveillance and defend user privacy and speech.”

“We call on companies in receipt of such subpoenas to insist that DHS seek court confirmation that their demands are not unlawful or unconstitutional prior to companies disclosing any user information. We also urge you to notify users about demands for their information with meaningful time to challenge subpoenas on their own.”

Read the full letter here.

Reaction from Thomas‑Johnson

Thomas‑Johnson told The Intercept:

“We need to think very hard about what resistance looks like under these conditions…where government and Big Tech know so much about us, can track us, can imprison, can destroy us in a variety of ways.”

Responses from ICE and Google

ICE and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.