Immigration and Customs Enforcement has obtained a grand jury subpoena forcing Reddit to disclose the identity of a user who criticized the agency. The order, issued by prosecutors in Washington, D.C., demands the user's name, address, phone number and other details by April 14. Reddit emphasized its commitment to user privacy amid the request.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking to unmask a Reddit user accused of posting comments critical of the agency. Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., issued a grand jury subpoena after an earlier attempt failed in a Northern California federal court, which covers Reddit's San Francisco headquarters, according to a report by The Intercept. The subpoena requires Reddit to hand over the user's personal information by April 14, following a month-long effort by ICE to identify the individual. Reddit's attorneys argued that the user's posts and anonymity are shielded by the First Amendment, calling ICE's escalation to a grand jury subpoena a 'disturbing' move. In a statement, Reddit affirmed that 'privacy is central to how Reddit operates and we take our commitment to protecting that seriously.' The platform added that it does 'not voluntarily share information with any government, especially not on users exercising their rights to criticize the government or plan a protest.' This case is not isolated. A New York Times report noted that the Department of Homeland Security has issued hundreds of similar subpoenas to platforms including Google, Discord, Meta and Reddit, targeting users who spoke negatively about ICE.
