FBI requires Google to identify specific YouTube users
Federal investigators are seeking Google to provide data on users who viewed certain videos on YouTube in a series of court rulings . Experts suggest such orders could turn ordinary YouTube viewers into targets of criminal prosecution.
In one case in Kentucky, police are searching for a user known as elonmuskwhm who is suspected of illegal Bitcoin trading. During the investigation, undercover agents sent the suspect links to YouTube tutorials related to the use of drones and augmented reality technologies, and then asked Google for information about everyone who watched the videos.
Court documents indicate that Google must provide personal data and information about the activity of users who visited the specified videos from January 1 to January 8, 2023. In addition, the police requested information about the IP addresses of viewers not associated with Google accounts. The order remained confidential until it was publicly disclosed, and it is unknown whether Google provided the requested data.
In another case, in New Hampshire, Portsmouth police faced threats from an anonymous individual. After canvassing the area, they tracked the suspect through a YouTube livestream associated with a local business and asked Google for a list of accounts that had interacted with the streams at that particular time.
The moves have raised concerns among privacy experts and human rights groups, who have expressed concerns that such orders are unconstitutional, suggesting they could turn ordinary YouTube viewers into targets of criminal prosecution.
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