Judge: App Can't Hide Identity Of Woman Accused In Planning Charlottesville Rally [View all]
Source: NPR
A federal judge in California has ruled that a confidential messaging app must release the identity of a user who is accused of helping plan violence at a white nationalist rally last year in Charlottesville, Va.
The unnamed woman is one of dozens of people accused of using the gamer chat app Discord to organize violence at that event. Lawyers representing victims of that violence have subpoenaed the app for more information on those conversations. But the woman, known as "Jane Doe" in the court case and "kristall.night" on the app, attempted to quash the subpoena.
Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero of the Northern District of California has allowed the subpoena to move forward, ruling that the user's right to anonymity is outweighed by the importance of investigating a possible violent conspiracy. But the real name of the user should be revealed only to a small circle of people involved in the court case, Spero said.
Doe's lawyer, Marc Randazza, tells The Washington Post that he has not decided whether to appeal.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/07/636308294/judge-app-cant-hide-identity-of-woman-accused-in-planning-charlottesville-rally
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