Secret DOJ push for reporter’s LinkedIn data alarms federal judges – Raw Story

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Department of Justice Building is pictured, in Washington, U.S., December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago/File Photo A secretive Justice Department push to obtain a reporter’s LinkedIn records is alarming federal judges who fear the “overbroad” demand could expose confidential sources unrelated to the investigation. The dispute spilled into the public Tuesday during arguments before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prosecutors are seeking details about roughly 1,900 LinkedIn interactions involving six users as part of an undisclosed national security leak investigation, Politico reported. “If the confidentiality of its sources is going to be broadly compromised by an overbroad disclosure order that reveals sources … that have nothing to do with or little to do with the particulars of a leak, doesn’t that compromise a reporter’s interest and the First Amendment interest?” asked Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee. A federal judge approved the Justice Department’s demand in June and barred LinkedIn from notifying the affected users, according to Politico. “That order required LinkedIn to turn over information about specific people’s use of the service, which can reveal connections between users,” the outlet said. “But a search warrant would typically be required before law enforcement could see the
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