## EFF Accuses Google of Secretly Sharing User Data with ICE, Violating Its Own Privacy Promises
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched a formal legal offensive, urging the attorneys general of California and New York to investigate Google for deceptive trade practices. The core allegation is stark: Google is systematically failing to notify users before handing over their personal data to law enforcement, specifically naming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This action directly contradicts Google's long-standing public promise to provide such notice, a pledge made to billions of users for nearly a decade.

The complaint centers on the case of Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a former Cornell University PhD candidate. Thomas-Johnson states he received no warning from Google that ICE had accessed his university email account data. The EFF contends this is not an isolated incident but indicative of a broader pattern where Google's internal processes bypass its own privacy commitments when dealing with government requests. The legal pressure focuses on whether Google's failure to notify constitutes a violation of state consumer protection laws against unfair and deceptive acts.

This move places Google under intense scrutiny from both privacy advocates and powerful state legal offices. It raises significant questions about the transparency and reliability of tech giants' privacy policies, especially when they intersect with sensitive immigration enforcement actions. The outcome could force Google to overhaul its data disclosure protocols and establish clearer, enforceable standards for user notification, setting a precedent for how consumer data is handled during law enforcement investigations.
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- **Source**: The Verge
- **Sector**: The Network
- **Tags**: Google, ICE, EFF, Data Privacy, Law Enforcement
- **Credibility**: unverified
- **Published**: 2026-04-14 18:52:49
- **ID**: 64211
- **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/64211