FBI asks Google to handover YouTube user data related to a crypto laundering case،
Who knew watching a YouTube video would get them into trouble? It turns out that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has asked Google to provide certain details about users watching certain YouTube videos as part of an ongoing large-scale criminal investigation.
According to now unsealed court documents viewed by Forbes, the FBI is ordering Google to disclose the names, telephoto numbers, addresses, user activities and IP addresses of YouTube accounts that watched certain videos created as part of a sting operation. 'infiltration.
The report states that the FBI created a YouTube channel with the username “elonmuskwhm” where they posted videos related to a virtual cryptocurrency laundering case. Investigators released public videos on YouTube that included tutorials on mapping using drones and augmented reality software. The video in question has been viewed more than 30,000 times, including by users unrelated to the case.
Google has been ordered to disclose YouTube viewer data details for a specific period from January 1 to January 8, 2023. It is still unclear whether Google acceded to the request or denied the same regarding user privacy at risk .
Investigators say it is 'legally justified' to share user data
Investigators supported the request as “legally justified,” given how important it could be to the ongoing criminal investigation. Additionally, other police forces have asked Google to hand over viewer data on live streams of the New Hampshire bombing.
When asked, Google's Matt Bryant told Forbes that they have a rigorous process in place for responding to police requests that respects users' privacy and constitutional rights, while emphasizing the usefulness of the data for law enforcement authorities. Google has clearly refused to hand over user data on a regular basis, only to comply with the legal validity of the ongoing investigation.
The other bitter side of the die
Law enforcement authorities seeking user data from YouTube and other platforms to investigate an ongoing criminal case can help them track down the culprits. However, it also sends a strong privacy signal, given how it violates user privacy and the First and Fourth Amendments of the US Constitution.
Privacy experts have called the incidents terrifying and unconstitutional. However, the truth is that every day, law enforcement agencies use one tactic or another to turn search warrants into digital networks, says Albert Fox-Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
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