Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against anonymous hackers, accusing them of a “malicious invasion” of her privacy and alleging they stole and sold unreleased music, private photos and behind-the-scenes footage.
Court documents say the Wicked actor and singer is alleging the pair accessed sensitive material tied to her work, including unreleased songs, studio session footage, and music videos.
According to the filing, Grande believes the hackers obtained the content by targeting the personal accounts of photographers and producers she had collaborated with, before allegedly leaking and selling the material.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles and covered by several US outlets, claims the stolen data and private files were sold for ‘significant sums of money’.
The complaint says the alleged activity stretched back years and claims that in 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Grande were hacked, stolen and leaked. It also alleges similar leaks have affected her career since she first entered the music industry in 2011.
“In 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Ms. Grande were hacked, stolen, and leaked by Defendants,” the complaint alleges.
“Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place.”
The complaint further accuses the unnamed defendants, listed as John Does, of carrying out phishing and hacking operations that resulted in the ‘unlawful and egregious theft, dissemination, and exploitation of unreleased content’, according to documents reviewed by Variety.
Variety reports that Grande is seeking to identify the people behind the attacks so they can be held responsible. The filing says she wants to expose ‘these currently unknown and unscrupulous individuals in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct’, adding that ‘it is imperative to Ms. Grande to ensure — on behalf of herself and others — that such conduct is deterred to the fullest extent possible’.
The lawsuit also comes after Grande previously spoke publicly about the harm caused by leaked music. In an interview earlier this year, she said seeing unreleased material spread online was upsetting and stressed that it is ultimately up to artists to decide when their work is shared.
After news of the case emerged, a source close to Grande told PEOPLE that the action is meant to discourage similar incidents in the future.
“The lawsuit is intended to serve as a deterrent against future acts of this nature — not only targeting Ariana, but also the many artists who have faced similar invasions of their privacy and theft of their creative work,” the source claims.
“Artists deserve the right to control how and when their art is shared with the world. The unlawful theft and distribution of creative work undermines that right and should not be tolerated.”
Among the incidents outlined in the lawsuit are allegations that, since Grande began her music career in 2011, hackers accessed a Dropbox account belonging to a photographer who had previously worked with her.
The legal filing also says one of Grande’s producers had their mobile phone compromised, which allegedly gave the hackers access to video from recording sessions.
It further states that 45 unreleased tracks were accessed by the hackers in 2023.
Another allegation in the suit claims the unknown individuals set up a Gmail account pretending to be a photographer, allowing them to receive unreleased images of Grande from a digital technician.
Grande’s representatives have been approached for comment.