A legal battle has been initiated by Ariana Grande against hackers accused of stealing and profiting from her unreleased music, photos, and videos over an extended period. The singer has filed a lawsuit in a California state court alleging that hackers targeted her close associates with access to her unreleased material, leading to the unauthorized theft and exploitation of her content. The lawsuit claims that a group of unidentified individuals gained entry into online accounts and devices of photographers, producers, and others Grande had collaborated with, downloading unreleased music, recording sessions, music video materials, and personal content, which was subsequently sold on the dark web for substantial amounts.
According to the lawsuit, in the year 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs by Grande were hacked and leaked, with numerous similar incidents occurring since her debut in 2011. The legal complaint details multiple breaches spanning several years. For instance, in 2019, it is alleged that login information for a photographer’s Dropbox account was stolen. Subsequently, in the following year, a producer working with Grande had their phone hacked, resulting in the leak of unreleased masters, demos, and footage.
The most recent incident, as per claims, occurred in 2024 when a phishing campaign targeted a digital technician associated with a photographer Grande had collaborated with. The hackers purportedly created a Gmail account and internet domain to impersonate the photographer, persuading the technician to share private materials with them.
This is not the first time Grande has spoken out against hackers leaking her unreleased content. In a 2024 interview on The Zach Sang Show, she expressed frustration over her song Fantasize being leaked online without her consent, emphasizing the illicit nature of such actions.
Representatives for Grande declined to comment when approached by CBC News. Jeremy Goldman, an intellectual property lawyer based in Los Angeles, described the situation as challenging. He explained that the lawsuit likely serves as a means to gain subpoena power to identify the perpetrators through internet service providers and forensic records.
Goldman noted that while the complexity of the case is unique, similar legal actions have been taken against unidentified individuals in the past. He referenced a lawsuit filed by singer Sia in 2023 against an identity thief as a comparable example. Despite the legal challenges posed by pursuing hackers, Grande continues her music endeavors, with an upcoming album release and ongoing tour engagements.