Federal authorities in the US reportedly demanded from Google the names, addresses, phone numbers, and user activity of accounts that viewed particular YouTube videos between January 1 and 8, 2023, as per unsealed court documents obtained by Forbes. Even viewers who weren’t logged into an account weren’t spared, as the government also sought their IP addresses. This request was part of an investigation into an individual known online as “elonmuskwhm.”
Suspected of illegal activities involving selling bitcoin for cash and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, elonmuskwhm allegedly received links to YouTube tutorials on mapping via drones and augmented reality software in early January from undercover agents. Although the videos weren’t private and had garnered over 30,000 collective views, the government sought private information on potentially numerous users, deeming it relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation.
While the court granted the order, it instructed Google to keep it confidential, and it remains unclear if the company complied with the authorities’ data request. In a separate incident, authorities sought a list of accounts that engaged with eight YouTube livestreams, prompted by the suspicion that they were being monitored during a search operation following a bomb threat. One of these livestreams was from the Boston and Maine Live account, boasting over 130,000 subscribers.
A Google spokesperson assured Forbes of the company’s commitment to safeguarding user privacy through a rigorous process. However, critics and privacy advocates remain apprehensive, expressing concerns that government agencies may be overreaching and exploiting their authority to access sensitive information from individuals innocuously watching specific YouTube content.
John Davisson, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, emphasized the potential intrusion, stating, “What we watch online can reveal deeply sensitive information about us—our politics, our passions, our religious beliefs, and much more… This order turns that assumption on its head.”
