The Trump administration is seeking identifying information tied to anonymous social media accounts that have criticized or tracked Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, Mediaite reported.
The outlet reported that the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department have expanded efforts to identify users behind online accounts that comment on ICE activities amid heightened tensions surrounding the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
Federal authorities sent hundreds of subpoenas and legal demands to technology companies including Meta, Google, Reddit and Discord seeking names, phone numbers and email addresses connected to accounts that discussed ICE enforcement actions, The New York Times reported.
Mediaite reported that critics of the effort argued the subpoenas raised First Amendment concerns because many of the targeted accounts were engaged in political speech and commentary related to immigration enforcement.
The administration has argued some online accounts have endangered federal agents by publicizing ICE operations and personal information connected to officers.
Reuters reported in October that Meta removed a Facebook page used to track ICE activity in Chicago after outreach from the Justice Department, which said the page was being used to harass and dox federal agents.
