The FBI is trying to get a list of IP addresses, phone numbers, and other information on people who read a
USA Today article about the deaths of two of its agents (
via Politico).
The subpoena (PDF) says it relates to a criminal investigation, and is seeking the information of readers who accessed the article in a specific 35-minute timespan, but it’s unclear who or what the Bureau is trying to track down.
USA Today is fighting back against handing over the information, calling the request unconstitutional.
“We were surprised to receive this subpoena particularly in light of President Biden’s recent statements in support of press freedom. The subpoena is also contrary to the Justice Department’s own guidelines concerning the narrow circumstances in which subpoenas can be issued to the news media,”
USA Today publisher Maribel Perez Wadsworth said in a statement emailed to
The Verge.
The article in question was one published on February 2nd, 2021, about a shootout that occurred when FBI agents
tried to execute a search warrant in a child pornography case, resulting in the deaths of two FBI agents and the suspect. The subpoena, filled by an FBI special agent, requests a large amount of information about the devices that accessed the article from 7:03PM ET to 7:38PM ET on the evening it was published.
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www.theverge.com
