Reddit Does Not Have to Share IP Addresses of Users Who Discussed Pirating, Judge Rules

Reddit does not have to comply with a subpoena demanding the IP addresses of six users who anonymously discussed pirating movies on the website, a federal magistrate judge ruled on Feb. 7. In his ruling, Judge Thomas S. Hixson, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, argued the companies that subpoenaed Reddit had failed to show the private information they sought was available elsewhere. “Movants … cannot show that the information they seek here is unavailable from other sources,” Judge Hixson wrote. “Frontier has indicated it will provide Movants with identifying information for those IP addresses upon receipt of a subpoena. If Movants sought further information, they need only subpoena the [internet service provider] for the subscriber information associated with that IP address, as the ISP does not share Reddit’s interest in protecting the anonymity of that user.”...