The Trump administration has intensified its legal push to uncover the identity of an anonymous Reddit user who posted criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). After an initial summons failed to compel Reddit to hand over information, federal authorities have now issued a subpoena requiring the platform to provide extensive personal details and appear before a grand jury in Washington, D.C. This development was reported by The Intercept, which obtained a copy of the subpoena.
According to The Intercept, Reddit faces a deadline of April 14 to comply with the subpoena, which demands a broad array of personal data on the user. ICE agents have been attempting to identify this individual for over a month without success. The legal proceedings originated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
On March 12, the anonymous Reddit user, represented by the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), filed a motion to quash the initial summons. That summons was issued by the Department of Homeland Security and directed Reddit to provide information to an ICE senior special agent. It cited authority under 19 U.S. Code § 1509, a provision of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930.
The motion to quash argues that the summons is not authorized by this law, which primarily deals with imports such as boats, alcoholic drinks, and animals. The filing states, “J. Doe is a US citizen who has not traveled out of the country, is not engaged in any international commerce, has no business concerns outside the United States, and primarily uses their Reddit account to engage in political speech relevant to their local community.”
It further contends, “Yet the government claims the right to obtain Doe’s name, telephone number, home address, banking and credit card information, IP addresses, telephone model number(s), and the names of any other accounts associated with their Reddit account. The information sought by the government in no way pertains to customs or importing or exporting merchandise, and is clearly intended to chill free speech.”
