What is Icepick?
Icepick is a leaked internal database identifying more than 41,000 employees for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), revealing employee names, offices, contact information, and assignments. The database was published by Distributed Denial of Secrets and made searchable by maia arson crimew.
Why does Icepick matter?
By replacing the regime’s anonymity with accountability, Icepick is a catalyst for investigations, empowering journalists, Congressional inquiries, legal challenges, community action and Freedom of Information Act requests.
Did DDoSecrets or maia arson crimew hack anyone to obtain the Icepick data?
No, the data was obtained by hacktivists known as the Department of Peace who then submitted it to DDoSecrets and maia. Poor editing from by NPR resulted in their briefly describing Distributed Denial of Secrets as a hacktivist group which was involved in obtaining the data. This has since been retracted.
Is the Icepick data illegal?
The Icepick data is firmly in the public interest, and in accordance with the First Amendment neither its publication nor its possession is illegal under United States laws. As Adam Steinbaugh, a senior attorney at the nonprofit civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), pointed out: “this is information that would be on a business card … not something the government can criminalize.”
Why did Bluesky claim that links to Icepick are malicious?
Bluesky initially claimed that the link was “malicious,” which the COO later admitted this description should not have been applied. This isn’t the first time social media companies have falsely labeled DDoSecrets’ website as “malicious” or attempted to prevent the public from sharing and accessing information, and it won’t be the last time tech corporations bend the knee and lick boot.
Does Icepick violate Bluesky’s community standards?
No. Bluesky’s community guidelines prohibits sharing home addresses and personal contact information, neither of which are in the Icepick dataset. The data contains work addresses and professional contact information for government employees, presenting it at a time when the public interest in that exact information has never been higher. By requiring the public to provide it for FOIA requests, the government has made that exact information a crucial piece of the transparency channels they want the public to engage in.
Has DHS requested the data be removed?
As of November 1, 2026, neither DDoSecrets nor maia arson crimew has received any notification from DHS in connection with the data. A takedown request was sent by the controversial AI company ZeroFox however instead of citing any communications with DHS about Icepick, the company simply referred to a general authorization to act on behalf of DHS which had been signed the previous year.
Does the leak pose a safety risk to DHS employees?
The risk to DHS employees from attaching their names to their actions is both minimal and hypothetical, while the harms and deaths caused by DHS are horrifyingly real.
How can I support this kind of work?
You can support DDoSecrets’ publications with donations (tax-deductible in the U.S.) through Donorbox, and maia’s work via Monero at 8AywVQya1uK39RQysNiV6xXwJZqV6ktcP7VAPx81XCQZDPFXgR7ikiU511BVEL96D7X8iU8Uo9zgrc72umf2Dycj1XcPiWE.
