Feds push tech companies to release identities of thousands of users of emissions ‘defeat device’ system

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is pushing tech companies to release identification information for users of EZ Lynk, a company accused of violating the Clean Air Act.

The DOJ recently subpoenaed Apple, Google, Amazon, and Walmart, asking the tech companies to provide names, addresses, and phone numbers for users of the Cayman Islands-based company EZ Lynk, according to a May 6 report from InsideEPA.

The number of EZ Lynk users could range in the hundreds of thousands, according to the report.

The push for user information is linked to a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York in 2021 that alleges that EZ Lynk and related companies violated the Clean Air Act by manufacturing and selling a defeat device designed to permit car and truck owners to remove computerized emissions controls.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York describes how the EZ Lynk product works:

“Referred to as the “EZ Lynk System,” this product consists of three components: the Auto Agent, which is a physical device that plugs into vehicle computer systems to install software designed to “delete” emissions controls; the EZ Lynk Cloud, which is a cloud computing platform that stores the deletion software; and the Auto Agent App, a smartphone application that connects the Auto Agent to the EZ Lynk Cloud, allowing customers to acquire and install deletion software through their smartphones. EZ Lynk has sold its product to thousands of drivers across the United States.”

Officials say that they want EZ Lynk user information in order to find customers who can testify as part of the ongoing lawsuit.

EZ Lynk has pointed to privacy concerns associated with handing over such a large amount of personal data from users to the federal government.

Forbes reports that Apple and Google plan to fight the subpoenas.

In January 2026, the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced that they will no longer pursue criminal charges for removing or altering emissions control devices in diesel trucks. However, civil penalties will still be pursued “when appropriate,” officials said.