If the linked article has a paywall, you can access this archived version instead: https://archive.ph/zyhax
The court orders show the government telling Google to provide the names, addresses, telephone numbers and user activity for all Google account users who accessed the YouTube videos between January 1 and January 8, 2023. The government also wanted the IP addresses of non-Google account owners who viewed the videos.
“This is the latest chapter in a disturbing trend where we see government agencies increasingly transforming search warrants into digital dragnets. It’s unconstitutional, it’s terrifying and it’s happening every day,” said Albert Fox-Cahn, executive director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. “No one should fear a knock at the door from police simply because of what the YouTube algorithm serves up. I’m horrified that the courts are allowing this.” He said the orders were “just as chilling” as geofence warrants, where Google has been ordered to provide data on all users in the vicinity of a crime.
Actions, not thoughts, or media consumption, or associations should be the basis for legal actions against people.
Broadly speaking this is terrible in its implications and I am NOT defending this practice based on “wont somebody think of the children” because of the slippery slope argument.
However, there is a almost hidden in plain sight emporium of borderline CP buried in the YT servers. Videos of peoples kids in dance/gymnastics/swimming costumes and the comments are disturbing in their “sanitary” nature… its mostly timestamps. Timestamps of when the 8yo girl has her legs spread as part of a dance routine and stuff like that.
Its a shame that for the people to be protected from broad govt surveillance we also have to protect that shit.