DOJ subpoenas Apple and Google to learn identities of people who used "car tinkering" app used to bypass emission controls

I've never used this app before, but believe me, if I had — I'd be sweating right about now.

Gizmodo reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the identities, addresses, and purchase histories of at least 100,000 people who used a car app tied to alleged Clean Air Act violations.

Forbes reports that the DOJ issued subpoenas in March and April to Google, Apple, Amazon, and Walmart seeking user records connected to EZ Lynk, the maker of the Auto Agent app and a related car diagnostic tool.

What is EZ Lynk's "Auto Agent" app, you ask? The company says the app offers "insight to critical vehicle sensor data allowing you to monitor in real time the health and status of your vehicle." The app allows car owners access to "diagnostic trouble codes" which "allows you to easily understand what your vehicle is trying to tell you" so that you can make your own repairs.

Seems simple enough (though mechanics obviously might not like it). The problem, however, is that — per Gizmodo — EZ Lynk has already been accused of helping consumers "bypass computerized emissions controls on cars," with the government claiming that the device was "intended to disable those emissions controls."

So, if I've got this right, people used this app to tap into their car's computer and clear emissions codes in states that require emissions inspections. You know, because that's something the EPA really needs to know 😐

That suit was first brought in 2021, and now apparently the government really means business:

[T]he government is trying to force major tech and retail companies to hand over information on people who downloaded the app or bought the EZ Lynk devices, in hopes of finding witnesses to testify in the case.

In a joint letter from EZ Lynk and the DOJ filed in court earlier this month, the government argued that its requests are fair and appropriate because lawyers want to interview witnesses about their use of EZ Lynk's products.

Folks who ever used EZ Lynk probably are feeling this way about their cars right now:

EZ Lynk, for its part, says that the government's request goes "well beyond the needs of this case and creates serious privacy concerns." As the company's lawyers put it bluntly:

Investigating this claim does not require identifying each person who has used the product.

I can think of around 100,000 people who would probably agree with that!