Privacy Advocates Demand Google End Data Sharing with ICE

EFF alleges tech giant fails to notify users before handing over personal data to law enforcement agencies.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 6:20pm

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A highly detailed 3D illustration of a computer server rack with pulsing neon blue and magenta lights, conceptually representing the unseen digital infrastructure that enables data collection and surveillance by authorities.Glowing digital infrastructure illuminates the hidden data flows between tech giants and law enforcement agencies.NYC Today

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is calling on the attorneys general of California and New York to investigate Google for allegedly failing to notify users before sharing their personal data with law enforcement agencies like ICE. The EFF claims this is a deceptive trade practice that violates Google's own privacy promises to users.

Why it matters

This case highlights ongoing tensions over data privacy and the role of tech companies in cooperating with government surveillance, especially under policies targeting activists and marginalized communities.

The details

The EFF says Google has a 'hidden but systemic practice' of handing over user data to law enforcement without authorization, citing the case of Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a former Cornell PhD student who says he received no notice that ICE had accessed his university email. The EFF alleges Google does this 'to save time and avoid delay with complying with a government demand.' The organization is seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties against Google.

  • In May 2025, Amandla Thomas-Johnson discovered the Department of Homeland Security had subpoenaed his personal email.
  • Thomas-Johnson had left the country a month earlier due to fears of deportation under the Trump administration's targeting of student activists.

The players

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

A non-profit digital rights group that advocates for privacy, free expression, and innovation.

Amandla Thomas-Johnson

A former PhD candidate at Cornell University who was involved in pro-Palestine activism on campus.

Google

The tech giant that the EFF alleges has a 'hidden but systemic practice' of handing over user data to law enforcement without authorization.

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What they’re saying

“For nearly a decade, Google has promised billions of users that it will notify them before disclosing their personal data to law enforcement.”

— Electronic Frontier Foundation

“This is the big question — whether they were using our [Cornell] emails to track us as well.”

— Amandla Thomas-Johnson, Former Cornell PhD Candidate

“Google's processes for handling law enforcement subpoenas are designed to protect users' privacy while meeting our legal obligations.”

— Google Spokesperson

What’s next

The EFF is asking the attorneys general of California and New York to investigate Google's practices and seek injunctive relief, including civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation in California.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between tech companies, user privacy, and government surveillance, especially when it comes to the rights of activists and marginalized communities. It raises questions about the transparency and accountability of how major platforms handle law enforcement requests for user data.