Wow, US Authorities Ask for Identity of YouTube Viewers
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| YouTube Viewers |
– It has now been revealed that the United States government asked Google to provide identity details of users who watch YouTube videos. How come?
In detail, the American government wants to request data such as names, addresses, phone numbers and activity of account users who watched certain YouTube videos between January 1 and 8, 2023, according to open court documents discovered by Forbes.
Then, if you think someone watching YouTube videos without an account will be safe, then you are wrong. Because the US government also asks for IP addresses of YouTube viewers without accounts.
Basically, investigators are looking for someone using the online name elonmuskwhm, and one attempt to find him is to request data from Google.
These authorities suspect that elonmuskwhm has been selling bitcoins for cash, which is in violation of money laundering laws, as well as the rules of running an unlicensed money transfer business.
According to an Engadget report, an undercover agent had sent the suspect a YouTube tutorial video link. This link contains a video for detection via drone and augmented reality software last January.
After that, the tutorial video uploaded to YouTube was viewed 30,000 times because the video is not private. Therefore, the government asked Google for personal information about the viewers of this video.
“There is reason to believe that these records are relevant and important to the ongoing criminal investigation, including by providing identifying information about the perpetrators,” authorities told Google.
Although, the court has approved the order but Google is still required to keep it secret, according to documents seen by Forbes. So it is still unclear whether Google handed over personal data to the authorities.
In another incident, the police asked for a list of accounts that viewed or interacted with a live broadcast on YouTube. Police requested this data after they discovered they were being watched during a search of a premises, where there were reports that explosives had been placed in rubbish bins.
The streaming video for which this data was requested was posted by the Boston and Maine Live YouTube account, which has more than 130,000 subscribers.
Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson told Forbes that it follows a very strict process to protect the privacy of its users. However, there are concerns that the government is overreaching and using its power to obtain sensitive information. [FY/IF]