US Department of Justice to Google, Apple, Amazon and others: Share data of 100,000 people who used…

The US Department of Justice has reportedly ordered Google, Apple and Amazon to share data on users of a certain app. The subpoenas are said to seek the identities, addresses, and purchase histories of at least 100,000 people who used products made by Cayman Islands-based EZ Lynk, according to court filings tied to an ongoing legal battle over alleged violations of the US Clean Air Act, seen by Forbes.According to a Forbes report, the department is seeking the information in its 2021 lawsuit against EZ Lynk, which accuses the company of selling “defeat devices” designed to disable vehicle emissions controls. EZ Lynk denied the allegations and said its products have other uses, including software upgrades and vehicle performance monitoring.According to a joint court letter filed by the DOJ and EZ Lynk earlier this month, the government subpoenaed Apple and Google in March and April seeking details on users who downloaded EZ Lynk’s Auto Agent app.

Similar subpoenas were sent to Amazon and Walmart for the names and addresses of customers who purchased EZ Lynk hardware. The government says the information is needed to identify potential witnesses in the case.The move has raised concerns among privacy advocates and legal experts, who argue the requests extend beyond the needs of the lawsuit and could affect protections around personal data.

Privacy concerns emerge over scope of data requests

“These requests for potentially hundreds of thousands of people’s PII go well beyond the needs of this case and create serious privacy concerns,” EZ Lynk’s lawyers wrote in the court filing.

“Investigating this claim does not require identifying each person who has used the product.”The filing also states that Apple and Google plan to challenge the subpoenas. Neither company publicly responded to requests for comment, while Walmart declined to comment. The DOJ and EZ Lynk also declined further comment.The government defended its requests, saying it had “consistently sought customer information” because lawyers wanted to interview witnesses about their use of EZ Lynk technology.

The DOJ argued users surrendered some privacy rights by agreeing to the company’s terms and conditions regarding data use.“The Department of Justice argued in the letter that because EZ Lynk users’ provided their personal information to the company and agreed to its terms and conditions on how it would be used, ‘they no longer have a cognizable privacy interest as to that information,'" the department's prosecutor claimed.Privacy experts questioned that position. Aaron Mackey of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said the argument is “particularly problematic,” noting many users do not fully read terms and conditions before accepting them. He added that the government’s broad request raises questions about how the data may be used beyond the current prosecution.Tom McBrien from the Electronic Privacy Information Center also expressed concern. He said, “It’s worrying that the government could obtain personally identifiable information for every customer through discovery, which is outside of the privacy protections provided by the Fourth Amendment and other privacy statutes."The case has not been unfamiliar to attention, and has been made all the more so by EZ Lynk’s argument that the company is protected from liability for the misuse of its technology products under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. But in 2025, the court rejected this argument and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.EZ Lynk was founded in 2014 as a company that developed applications used by people who modify automotive engines and software and enjoy tinkering with vehicles. It seems that the opponents of the subpoenas believe that acquiring personal data would pose additional risks to users’ privacy.