Apple Gives FBI a User’s Real Name Hidden Behind ’Hide My Email’ Feature

This article was produced in collaboration with Court Watch, an independent outlet that unearths overlooked court records. Subscribe to them here.Apple provided the FBI with the real iCloud email address hidden behind Apple’s ‘Hide My Email’ feature, which lets paying iCloud+ users generate anonymous email addresses, according to a recently filed court record.The move isn’t surprising but still provides uncommon insight into what data is available to authorities regarding the Apple feature. The data was turned over during an investigation into a man who allegedly sent a threatening email to ​​Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI director Kash Patel.“On or about February 28, 2026, Person 1 received an email from the email address peaty_terms_1o@icloud.com,” the affidavit reads. Earlier on, the document explicitly says that Person 1 is Alexis Wilkins.The email said, “Do you know how happy I’ll be when your cunt ass face is canoed by an assault rifle? Tick tock bitch. Watch your back.” Canoeing is a term for when people mutilate someone’s head.💡Do you know anything else about what data Apple or other tech companies provide? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.The affidavit says Apple then provided records that indicated the peaty_terms_1o@icloud.com email address was associated with an Apple account in the name of Alden Ruml. The records showed that account generated 134 anonymized email addresses, according to the affidavit.Law enforcement agents later interviewed Ruml and he confirmed he had sent the email, the affidavit says. Ruml said he sent the email after reading a February 28 article about how the FBI was using its own resources to provide security to Wilkins. The specific article is not named or linked in the affidavit, but a New York Times article published that same day described how Patel ordered a team to ferry his girlfriend on errands and to events.Hide My Email is available to Apple iCloud+ subscribers. Apple describes the feature as a way “to keep your personal email address private.”“With Hide My Email, you can generate unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal email account, so you don’t have to share your real email address when filling out forms or signing up for newsletters on the web, or when sending email,” Apple’s website adds.Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.