Google Broke Its Promise to Me. Now ICE Has My Data.
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Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a Ph.D. student on a student visa, attended a brief pro-Palestinian protest in 2024 and later fled the U.S. after federal agents sought him. In April 2025, ICE issued an administrative subpoena to Google for his account data. Google handed over the data without notifying him first, breaking a longstanding policy of giving users advance notice to contest such requests. The data disclosed included IP addresses, physical address, and session times — enough to build a detailed surveillance profile. The EFF has filed complaints with California and New York Attorneys General alleging deceptive trade practices by Google. Thomas-Johnson's account highlights how tech companies' data stores can be weaponized by state power against individuals engaged in protected political speech, with little recourse for those targeted.
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