Reddit Mods Sued By YouTuber Ethan Klein Fight Efforts To Unmask Them (404media.co)
(Monday September 29, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the dangerous-precedents dept.)
- Reference: 0179594396
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/09/29/2350234/reddit-mods-sued-by-youtuber-ethan-klein-fight-efforts-to-unmask-them
- Source link: https://www.404media.co/reddit-mods-sued-by-youtuber-ethan-klein-fight-efforts-to-unmask-them/
[1]alternative_right shares a report from 404 Media:
> Critics of YouTuber Ethan Klein are pushing back on subpoenas that would reveal their identities as part of an ongoing legal fight between Klein and his detractors. Klein is a popular content creator whose YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers. He's also involved in a labyrinthine personal and legal beef with three other content creators and the moderators of a subreddit that criticizes his work. Klein filed a legal motion to compel Discord and Reddit to [2]reveal the identities of those moderators , a move their lawyers say would put them in harm's way and stifle free speech on the internet forever.
>
> [...] On July 31, a judge allowed Klein's lawyers to [3]file a subpoena with Reddit and Discord that would reveal the identities of the people running r/h3snark and an associated Discord server. On September 22, lawyers for the defendants [4]filed a motion to quash the subpoenas. "On its face, the Action is about copyright infringement," the latest filing said. "At its heart, however, the Action is about stifling criticism and seeking retribution by unmasking individuals for perceived reputational harms TEI [Klein's production company] attributes to [John Doe moderators] unrelated to TEI's intellectual property rights." [...]
>
> The anonymity of places like Reddit and Discord grant a layer of protection to people seeking to critique power. This case could set a dangerous precedent, the lawyers believe. "If the court allows TEI's Subpoenas, it would enable TEI to impose a considerable price on Does' use of the vehicle of anonymous speech -- including public exposure, real risks of retaliation and actual harm, and the financial and other burdens of defending the Action," the filing said. The filing added: "Very few would-be commentators are prepared to bear costs of this magnitude. So, when word gets out that the price tag of criticizing Ethan is this high -- that speech will disappear. But that is precisely what Ethan Klein wants."
[1] https://slashdot.org/~alternative_right
[2] https://www.404media.co/reddit-mods-sued-by-youtuber-ethan-klein-fight-efforts-to-unmask-them/
[3] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26171496-govuscourtscacd975246180/?ref=404media.co
[4] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26171497-govuscourtscand45674210/4?ref=404media.co
> Critics of YouTuber Ethan Klein are pushing back on subpoenas that would reveal their identities as part of an ongoing legal fight between Klein and his detractors. Klein is a popular content creator whose YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers. He's also involved in a labyrinthine personal and legal beef with three other content creators and the moderators of a subreddit that criticizes his work. Klein filed a legal motion to compel Discord and Reddit to [2]reveal the identities of those moderators , a move their lawyers say would put them in harm's way and stifle free speech on the internet forever.
>
> [...] On July 31, a judge allowed Klein's lawyers to [3]file a subpoena with Reddit and Discord that would reveal the identities of the people running r/h3snark and an associated Discord server. On September 22, lawyers for the defendants [4]filed a motion to quash the subpoenas. "On its face, the Action is about copyright infringement," the latest filing said. "At its heart, however, the Action is about stifling criticism and seeking retribution by unmasking individuals for perceived reputational harms TEI [Klein's production company] attributes to [John Doe moderators] unrelated to TEI's intellectual property rights." [...]
>
> The anonymity of places like Reddit and Discord grant a layer of protection to people seeking to critique power. This case could set a dangerous precedent, the lawyers believe. "If the court allows TEI's Subpoenas, it would enable TEI to impose a considerable price on Does' use of the vehicle of anonymous speech -- including public exposure, real risks of retaliation and actual harm, and the financial and other burdens of defending the Action," the filing said. The filing added: "Very few would-be commentators are prepared to bear costs of this magnitude. So, when word gets out that the price tag of criticizing Ethan is this high -- that speech will disappear. But that is precisely what Ethan Klein wants."
[1] https://slashdot.org/~alternative_right
[2] https://www.404media.co/reddit-mods-sued-by-youtuber-ethan-klein-fight-efforts-to-unmask-them/
[3] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26171496-govuscourtscacd975246180/?ref=404media.co
[4] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26171497-govuscourtscand45674210/4?ref=404media.co
Reddit? (Score:2)
by shm ( 235766 )
People still bother with Reddit?
I donâ(TM)t even bother clicking search results from that dumpster fire. Even the technical subs have been hijacked by mods from the Austrian Painter School of Governance.
So it's like mediocrity battle royale? (Score:2)
by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 )
Redditors vs Youtubers.
Who will win? Will I have enough popcorn to watch this to the end?
The Real Fight Here Isn’t About Copyright (Score:5, Interesting)
This case isn’t really about Ethan Klein or even YouTube drama; it’s about whether powerful figures can weaponize the courts to strip anonymity from critics. Copyright is the pretext and silencing dissent is the goal.
Re: (Score:1)
Meanwhile those same anonomous mods (from many many subreddits) silence dissent constantly within their fiefdoms. Honestly, turnabout if fair play - I hope those mods end up eating shit.
Re: (Score:2)
That's not what I remember happening to a number of subreddits whose content was banned site wide.
Correct. (Score:3)
I have no idea who Ethan Klein is but everything I've read and seen appears to indicate that he's attempting to use the US legal system to silence critics. I don't know what the criticism is about but he's trying to crush opposition of those who are known (other youtubers) and those who are anonymous (reddit moderators) via the US courts. I certainly hope it fails.
"Critics" (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd agree with you 100% if these people were criticizing Klein. For the videos he is suing for, they were not. They were sniping his stream. Meaning, they were rebroadcasting his stream with no commentary or communication of any kind, so they would get the views instead of him. I've seen the videos of the people he is suing. They said, basically, "Here's his stream! This guy is an idiot." And that was the extent of the criticism. Some walked away from the camera and ate dinner while rebroadcasting his stream.
The mods he is suing were organizing and promoting the snipe streams. They also didn't offer criticism beyond "Let's snipe Ethan he's a jerk."
I don't like anybody involved here. I'm not a fan of Ethan Klein either. But the people who make nothing new and snipe content are bottom feeders and need to be kicked off the internet. I'm fine with criticism and commentary channels. The sniping, though, needs to stop.
Re: "Critics" (Score:1)
This is accurate.
Re: (Score:2)
that's not what stream sniping is, and besides stream sniping isn't illegal afaik.
they are mocking him, that can be understood as a form of criticism. in any case, that's how the defense has decided to frame it. similarly, his layers decided to frame it as copyright violation. both points seem stretched, from tfa harassment would seem more appropriate but with fewer chances of getting the subpoena.
if they're taking views away from him then that's probably a problem with his content. tfa says this guy has re