HYBE's Request To Disclose Personal Information Of Hater Rejected By US Court + Netizens React

HYBE’s attempt to retrieve the internet user’s personal information has failed.

On July 1, Korean news outlets reported that HYBE’s request for disclosure of personal information regarding X (Twitter) user “Guilty Archive” has been rejected by a U.S court.

According to sources, the lawsuit process of obtaining the information is expected to be stalled. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled the decision on March 28.

HYBE has taken legal proceedings against cyberbullies who spread malicious rumors regarding its artists. One of those accounts is “Guilty Archive,” a user who specifically targeted K-pop groups BTS and LE SSERAFIM.

The conglomerate filed a lawsuit against the account at the Yongsan Police Station, in Seoul, with charges of defamation. However, it was difficult to identify the culprit, since the internet user was located in the United States.

This prompted the agency to apply a request for an information disclosure on the account. Sources state that this request was made through a “Discovery System,” which involves a process of gathering proof before engaging in a trial and requesting information from third-party sources.

Judge Vince Chhabria, who presided over the case, stated that while HYBE met the basic requirements of Article 1782, the court would not allow the act of disclosing information.

It was also deemed as abuse for private entities to utilize the court to obtain the personal information of others.

“Investigating agencies are generally responsible regarding crime investigations, not the victim,” Chhabria stated. “It doesn’t indicate the Korean police’s actions in relation to HYBE’s complaint.”

The judge added, “If a South Korean investigative agency requests a disclosure of information, then we will be able to proceed by the treaty between the United States and South Korea.”

• “Do they think that the U.S Court is made up of fools? Do they think that the whole world is theirs?”
• “How does everything they do turn into comedy?”
• “They honestly only do work that ruins my mood. They can’t do anything properly.”
• “They are not catching anyone from DC Gallery but instead are going for the wrong culprit. By the US’ standards, the request is just ridiculous.”
• “I think that HYBE has a weird way of doing things.”
• “Defamation cases in the US are really difficult to prosecute because of Freedom of Speech.”
• “HYBE should’ve known that it’s not Korea, and saved themselves the money and embarrassment.”
• “It does sound entitled. Running to the U.S district court when you can take matters into the hands of the SK police, at least initially.”
• “It’s a breach of protocol, so I’m not surprised by this reaction. Embarrassing.”
• “The main issue with HYBE is that they’ve become so arrogant that they can’t think rationally anymore even after taking L’s after L’s.”