This photo illustration created on April 13, 2023, shows the Discord logo and the suspect, national ... [+]
The FBI used billing records from the chat platform Discord to help identify 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, the man who allegedly leaked hundreds of classified documents over the past few months, according to a new report from the Associated Press and court records. It’s not immediately clear if the billing records were obtained through a warrant or were handed over voluntarily by Discord, which had reportedly been cooperating with U.S. authorities investigating the case.
News of the Discord billing records was revealed in a Boston court on Friday, where Teixeria appeared to face charges of illegally removing and retaining classified documents, according to the Associated Press.
Based on the government’s affidavit, it appears Teixeira used his real name when filling out Discord’s billing information.
“According to these records, the individual using the Subject Username is the administrator of Server 1, the billing name associated with the Subject Username is ‘Jack Teixeira,’ and the billing address associated with the Subject Username is a specific residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts,” the affidavit reads.
Teixeria was arrested at his home on Thursday for allegedly leaking the documents, which made their way to popular social media sites like Twitter and Telegram, where they first came to the attention of the Pentagon last week. Teixeria, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, reportedly worked as an IT tech, which supposedly gave him access to more information than someone in his position would typically have.
There was widespread speculation on Thursday whether the investigations of Bellingcat, the New York Times and the Washington Post contributed to the capture of Teixeria on Thursday, since the news outlets were able to track down the identity of the alleged leaker before he was taken into custody. But revelations that he was tracked down using billing information from Discord suggests the FBI’s own investigation was able to independently track down Teixeria. Reuters was the first to report late Wednesday that Discord was cooperating with the government’s investigation into who leaked the documents.
The Discord server where Teixeira first allegedly leaked the documents was called Thug Shaker Central and it’s not clear why Teixeria may have handed over his billing information to Discord. Users are able to make an account with Discord for free, but there are premium options available where someone might pay a fee.
Discord did not immediately respond to questions about how the billing information may have been obtained by the FBI. I’ll update this article if I hear back.
