DHS Uses Customs Summons to Seek Canadian Critic’s Data from Google

The Department of Homeland Security issued a customs summons to Google demanding the unnamed Canadian resident’s location data, activity logs, and identifying information early this year. The request follows his online criticism of the Trump administration after the Minneapolis killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He has not entered the United States in over ten years.

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The deaths of Good and Pretti spurred online commentary, including the Canadian man’s posts. DHS invoked a customs statute meant for import-related records, using it to seek a non-resident’s physical-movement data, raising jurisdictional concerns at the site of the Minneapolis killings.

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Key parties include DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the unnamed Canadian man, ACLU senior staff attorney Michael Perloff, former CBP counsel Chris Duncan, and Google, the U.S. company receiving the summons.

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The summons asks for the man’s geolocation, browsing activity, and identifiers confirming residence. His counsel notes he has not crossed the U.S. border in more than ten years, suggesting the data lies outside typical customs inquiries.

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ACLU attorney Michael Perloff said DHS is exploiting U.S. tech firms’ location to obtain data beyond its jurisdiction. Former CBP counsel Chris Duncan noted the statute is intended for records related to entry compliance and customs duties. Both DHS and Google declined comment.

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The ACLU argues the summons exceeds customs authority, allowing the government to bypass privacy safeguards by targeting foreign-national data held by U.S. companies. Critics warn this could set a precedent for broader surveillance.

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DHS and Google have not responded, leaving the scope of the data request and the agency’s existing knowledge of the man’s residence unclear. The lawsuit does not specify the volume of records sought.

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• “I don’t know what the government knows about our client’s residence, but it’s clear that the government isn’t stopping to find out,” — Michael Perloff, ACLU attorney

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• “It’s using that geographic fact to get information that otherwise would be totally outside of its jurisdiction,” — Michael Perloff, ACLU attorney

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• “It says right in the statute, it’s for records and testimony about the correctness of an entry, the liability of a person for duties, taxes, and fees, you know, compliance with basic customs laws,” — Chris Duncan, former CBP counsel

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• “And that's all it was ever envisioned to be used for.” — Chris Duncan, former CBP counsel

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The suit seeks a court ruling on the summons’ legality. Pending review, the case may define limits on U.S. agencies’ ability to request foreign-person data from domestic tech firms.

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