Ariana Grande gains legal breakthrough to identify music hackers

Ariana Grande has achieved a significant legal breakthrough in her lawsuit against unidentified cybercriminals, referred to in court documents as ‘John Does’. The Los Angeles Superior Court, under Judge Mark H. Epstein, has granted a special order allowing her legal team to expedite the collection of confidential information through third-party subpoenas.

This ruling waives the standard 20-day waiting period, enabling lawyers to immediately demand records and identifiers from web platforms and technology companies. These companies are believed to have provided services used to distribute stolen material or process illicit payments. The court determined that urgent procedures were necessary because it would be impossible to proceed with the trial or formally notify the defendants without first accessing technical data held by these platforms.

The lawsuit, filed in July, alleges that hackers targeted individuals close to Grande to gain unauthorized access to unreleased studio demos, personal photographs, and other private files. This stolen content was reportedly sold for significant sums on the dark web. Grande’s legal team notes that this is part of a recurring issue, citing a 2023 incident where approximately 45 unreleased songs were leaked online.