Homeland Security reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas seeking to unmask anti-ICE accounts

Source: TechCrunch

Posted: 2:30 PM PST · February 14, 2026

In Brief

DHS pressure on anti‑ICE accounts

The Department of Homeland Security has been increasing pressure on tech companies to identify the owners of social media accounts that criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The New York Times.

Echoes of earlier reporting

This echoes other recent reporting, with Bloomberg pointing to five cases in which Homeland Security sought to identify the owners of anonymous Instagram accounts (see TechCrunch coverage). In those instances, the department withdrew its subpoenas after the owners sued.

A Washington Post story described Homeland Security’s growing use of administrative subpoenas — which do not require the approval of a judge — to target Americans.

Surge in administrative subpoenas

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

Company responses

Google, Meta, and Reddit have reportedly complied in at least some cases. Echoing past comments, Google said that it informs users of these subpoenas when it can, and that it pushes back when the subpoenas are “overbroad.”