Take-Two files court order as GTA 6 leak investigation targets specific Discord user
Take-Two has launched a potentially vital new subpoena that appears to accelerate action against CyberLeek, the individual behind the GTA 6 leaks that shook the gaming world ahead of Rockstar's official gameplay reveal.
The publisher and parent company of Rockstar Games has already been busy issuing DMCA subpoenas across several social media platforms in an attempt to wipe the leaked footage from the web, and these are specifically designed to extract user information from third-parties without separate legal action, as per TorrentFreak.
Following this, however, a new subpoena has been filed by Take-Two as part of an investigation into CyberLeek that is 'rapidly evolving' according to the publisher — yet the information it is looking for has been kept secret from the public for one key reason.
Whether this allows Take-Two and Rockstar to identify CyberLeek directly remains unknown, but the alleged individual sharing game footage could find themselves on the receiving end of some significant charges if that is the case.
Why is the subpoena kept secret?
Take-Two has remained incredibly secretive in regards to this new DMCA request in an attempt to avoid allowing the targeted users to adapt or be aware that they've been targeted by the company.
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This new subpoena has been filed towards Discord in an attempt to target two users of the platform in relation to the leaks that were shared in recent weeks. It's unclear whether either of these two users have been identified as CyberLeek, or whether they are connected at all to the footage.
"Take-Two has identified one additional Discord user and obtained additional identifying information for a previously identified Discord user," the DMCA request details, "as well as additional information concerning the community servers identified in its prior subpoena for which it now seeks more targeted information."
The company also indicated that "public disclosure of this information could compromise Take-Two's ongoing investigation and even tip off the alleged infringers as to the nature and progress of Take-Two's investigation and information Take-Two has gathered about the infringement, creating a substantial risk that the infringers will delete, destroy, or otherwise conceal evidence of their infringing activities, and/or take further steps to evade identification."
Ryan K. Rigney, Discord's Marketing Director, has previously updated users that the company had – as of August 24 – been served with a subpoena from Take-Two, noting that the messaging service would "evaluate the validity and scope before responding."
Is Take-Two close to catching CyberLeek?
Much of Take-Two's investigation is understandably happening in the background as they work to identify the leaker that jeopardized the marketing plan for GTA 6, yet these new legal challenges do suggest that significant progress is being made.
It has indicated that the investigation "is rapidly evolving and ongoing," linking the necessity for the second subpoena to acquire 'different information' as a signifier of this progress.
CyberLeek's identify was already put at risk when one user on GTAForums discovered that a single cryptocurrency account was openly linked to the coin being promoted alongside the leaks, and that this could give law enforcement the power to demand identification behind the account.
Take-Two has also dropped its subpoena against YouTube – which was previously used to identify users sharing leaks on the platform – indicating that it 'no longer needs' the data that it sought from the legal request.