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Activision subpoenas Reddit to unmask user who posted leaked Call of Duty Warzone image

Activision has also been using copyright claims to take down purported Call of Duty Warzone leaks.

If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, join Reclaim The Net.

Recently thereโ€™s been a lot of online speculation about a new โ€œWarzoneโ€ battle royale mode thatโ€™s rumored to be coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in March.

This speculation has been accompanied by several leaks purporting to show footage and promotional materials for this Warzone mode.

The gameโ€™s publisher, Activision, has been using copyright claims to get several of these leaks taken down and now court documents show that Activision is also trying to unmask a Reddit user behind one of these leaks.

The leak in question was posted by Reddit user Assyrian2410 with the text: โ€œI found this image online. Not sure what it is. Possibly Battle Royale.โ€

The image has been removed from Reddit but is still featured in several gaming news outlets and appears to be a promotional poster for Call of Duty: Warzone.

Tweets sharing the image are being โ€œwithheld in response to a report from the copyright holderโ€ which suggests that the image is genuine and being blocked by Activision.

Tweets containing the leaked Call of Duty Warzone image are being blocked on copyright grounds (Twitter - @Kalijvc)
Tweets containing the leaked Call of Duty Warzone image are being blocked on copyright grounds (Twitter – @Kalijvc)

On February 14, Activision requested a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoena [1] [2] [3] against Reddit โ€œto identify alleged infringersโ€ and demanded that Reddit hand over stored data that is โ€œsufficient to identify the individual(s) responsible for posting content under the username โ€œAssyrian2410โ€โ€ in the Reddit thread where the image was posted.

The subpoena commands Reddit to hand over Assyrian2410โ€™s:

  • Name (s)
  • Address(es)
  • Telephone number(s)
  • Email address(es)
  • IP address(es)

According to Torrent Freak, because โ€œthe infringing content was posted in the thread itself and the actual image URL isnโ€™t mentioned at all in the subpoena request,โ€ the subpoena is โ€œseemingly deficient.โ€

The subpoena commands Reddit to hand over Assyrian2410โ€™s personal details by February 29 but itโ€™s unclear whether Reddit will comply or whether this data is still available since Assyrian2410โ€™s Reddit account has since been deleted.

Torrent Freak adds that after initially claiming they found the image online, Assyrian2410 later confessed that it was sent to them by an โ€œinside sourceโ€ which raises questions about whether Activision is using the subpoena to investigate who this inside source is.

If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, join Reclaim The Net.

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