alt Hacker NewsDHS demanded Google surrender data on a Canadian man over anti-ICE posts
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The DHS is more averse to getting real judicial subpoena/warrant than the USA is to using the metric system. They will use literally any contrived, illegal, "loophole" to avoid getting a proper judicial warrant or subpoena. The entire DHS needs to be defunded and gotten rid of. It is rotten to the core. The panic immediately after the 9/11 attacks allowed completely unconstitutional laws like the PATRIOT Act to be passed and the DHS to be created. These, and the 2001/2002 Authorization of use of Military Force need to be let lapse and repealed.
It's crazy that talking about the murders of US citizens on the streets by unaccountable DHS employees, for whom the heads of DHS literally made up and broadcast bold faced lies in order to cover up the murders, is now met with threats of use of force from the US federal government.
It has a significant chilling effect. I know I'm worried and almost did not post this comment fearing they will attack me or my family as well.
The fact that a 1930s trade law can be leveraged to demand data on a foreign citizen is a stark reminder of why local-first software and hardware transparency matter more than ever.
When we build tools that rely entirely on centralized cloud providers, we aren't just outsourcing the hosting—we're outsourcing our legal jurisdiction.
> According to the complaint, Google alerted the man about the request on February 9, despite an ask included in the summons “not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time.”
Which means this sort of heads up is entirely dependent on the good graces of a tech company. Google chose to notify "the man" in this case but who knows how many other such requests are complied with and the subject never even finds out.