EFF Reports Civil-Liberties Groups and NetChoice Ask D.C. Circuit to Curb a Grand Jury Subpoena Used to Unmask a Reddit Critic After DHS Withdrew Its Own

On 10/28/2026 (publication date), the Electronic Frontier Foundation published an account of an amicus brief that it says was filed in a sealed case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. EFF says the brief was filed in early September and recently unsealed, and was signed by the American Civil Liberties Union of DC, EFF, the Center for Individual Rights, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Cato Institute, and NetChoice. EFF is one of the signatories, and this entry rests on its account alone: the case is sealed.

According to EFF, the case involves the government’s investigation of an anonymous Reddit user who commented on a post about an immigration officer in Minnesota. EFF says that when the user challenged a subpoena in court on free speech and statutory grounds, DHS withdrew it, and the government then obtained a separate grand jury subpoena for much of the same information. EFF says the brief argues that the subpoenas must receive proper First Amendment scrutiny. EFF adds that NetChoice is a trade group that represents many companies that have received similar subpoenas, including Reddit, Google, Meta and PayPal.

Related DHS demands for records about critics: 2026-08-29–dhs-19-usc-1509-customs-summonses-journalists-unions-nonprofits-no-judicial-review.