Authorities have reportedly ordered Google to reveal the identities of some YouTube video viewers

Federal authorities in the US have asked Google for the names, addresses, phone numbers and user activity of accounts that watched certain YouTube videos between January 1 and 8, 2023, according to unsealed court documents reviewed by Forbes. People who watched these videos while not logged into an account weren’t safe either, because the government also asked for their IP addresses. Investigators reportedly ordered Google to hand over the information as part of an investigation into someone using the name “elonmuskwhm” online.

Authorities suspect that elonmuskwhm is selling bitcoins for cash, thereby violating money laundering laws, and that he is operating an unlicensed money transfer business. Undercover agents reportedly sent the suspect links to YouTube tutorial videos on drone mapping and augmented reality software in their conversations in early January. However, these videos are not private and have been viewed more than 30,000 times in total, meaning that the government has potentially asked Google for personal information about a fairly large number of users. “There is reason to believe that these records will be relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation, including by providing information to identify the perpetrators,” company officials said.

Based on the documents Forbes has seen, the court issued the order but asked Google to keep it secret. It’s also unclear whether Google turned over the data that authorities wanted. In another incident, authorities asked the company for a list of accounts that “viewed and/or interacted” with eight YouTube live streams. Cops requested this information after learning they had been observed across a stream while searching an area following a report that an explosive had been planted in a trash can. One of these live video streams was posted by the Boston and Maine Live account, which has over 130,000 subscribers.

A Google spokesperson said Forbes that the company follows a “rigorous process” to protect the privacy of its users. But critics and privacy advocates are still concerned that government agencies are overreaching and using their power to obtain sensitive information about people who happen to watch specific YouTube videos and are in no way doing anything illegal.

“What we watch online can reveal deeply sensitive information about us—our politics, our passions, our religious beliefs and more,” said John Davison, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Forbes. “It is fair to expect that law enforcement would not have access to this information without probable cause.” This order turns that assumption upside down.”