Caribbean-American New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie has launched an inquiry into the federal government’s efforts to obtain personal data on New Yorkers through administrative summonses and subpoenas that do not require prior judicial approval.
Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat who chairs the State Senate Codes Committee, has written to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and several major technology, telecommunications and financial services companies seeking details on government requests for customer information.
His inquiries were prompted by news reports, court filings and constituent concerns about the use of administrative demands to obtain telecommunications, social media and financial records without first obtaining a warrant from a judge.
Myrie said publicly available information indicated that, since at least January 2025, DHS had used several methods, including administrative summonses, to seek information from companies such as Meta, X, Reddit, Google, PayPal, Venmo and T-Mobile, as well as from local law enforcement.
He raised concerns that some of those requests may have targeted people who criticised the federal government and said some demands were withdrawn after being challenged, while others resulted in records being provided without prior notice to the affected individuals.
Myrie said the use of such tools raised constitutional questions involving privacy, free expression and due process.
“New Yorkers deserve to know if their accounts, devices, phone numbers, organizations, personal movements, and political, religious, or other activities have been subjected to this potentially unconstitutional activity,” he said.
The senator is seeking figures on administrative summonses and subpoenas issued since January 2025, including how many involved New York residents, entities or accounts associated with New York addresses.
He also wants information on which organisations received such demands, how many challenged or complied with them, whether DHS sought court enforcement and whether withdrawn requests were later replaced by warrants or other legal instruments.
Similar inquiries were sent to Meta, X, Reddit, Google, PayPal, Venmo, AT&T and T-Mobile seeking details on how they assess government requests for customer data and when users are notified that their information has been disclosed.
Myrie told the New York Law Journal that the public should know which companies are complying with or resisting such requests and what policies govern those decisions.
He said the state legislature should be prepared to act if personal information is being obtained without adequate judicial oversight. (CMC)
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