IU is expanding her legal fight against online defamation by asking a US federal court to help identify an anonymous social media user accused of spreading false information about her.
The singer and actress filed a request seeking subscriber information from Meta, the parent company of Threads, as part of an ongoing civil defamation case in South Korea.
According to reports on July 20, IU’s legal team submitted the application on July 15 to the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
The request aims to obtain information needed to identify the person behind a Threads account and collect evidence for the lawsuit currently being handled in South Korea.
The filing was made under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, a US law that allows courts to order companies or individuals in their jurisdiction to provide evidence for legal proceedings in another country, AllKPop reported.
This process has been used by South Korean celebrities seeking information about anonymous users on global online platforms.
IU’s side identified a Threads account using the username “@7hy*jin”, referred to as Person A in the filing, as the target of the request.
Her representatives claimed that the account posted and shared 52 false and malicious posts over a seven-month period from March to October 2025. They stated that the posts caused serious harm to IU’s reputation and public image.
IU has filed a petition with a U.S. court requesting that Meta disclose the identity of the Threads account @:7h* suspected of posting 52 defamatory posts about her from March through October last year.
Since the account owner’s identity is still unknown, IU’s side is requesting… pic.twitter.com/Z8ugnU4EGg
— Lateefah🎀 (@queenylateefah) July 20, 2026
IU Seeks Meta User Details
Because the account holder’s identity remains unknown, IU’s legal team said it has been difficult to continue the defamation case in South Korea.
According to ChosunBiz, the request asks Meta to provide subscriber details linked to the account, including the user’s name, address, phone number, email address, and IP records.
The alleged posts covered several categories, including repeated plagiarism accusations, false claims about IU’s connection to China, attacks on her international popularity, accusations involving deceased celebrities, claims of media manipulation, and statements connecting her songs to national tragedies.
IU’s representatives pointed out that some plagiarism allegations had already been addressed by a South Korean court in 2024. The previous case resulted in a 30 million KRW (around $22,000) damages ruling against the person responsible for spreading those claims.
The legal team also argued that the account shared false information about IU’s background, charitable activities, and global achievements. They submitted international performance records and streaming data to challenge claims that attempted to reduce her success overseas.
IU’s agency has maintained a strict approach toward malicious online posts and has continued pursuing legal action against those responsible.
As of February, her legal team had filed criminal complaints and civil lawsuits against 96 individuals accused of posting harmful content.
One defendant was sentenced in May to four months in prison, suspended for one year, after losing an appeal over repeated insulting posts about IU.