GoKawiilAppeals court limits DOJ bid for journalists' LinkedIn messages in leak probe
A federal appeals court, in an opinion by Judge Wilkinson, ruled against a government request to collect journalists' LinkedIn direct messages in bulk to identify confidential sources in a leak investigation. While the court did not fully quash the surveillance order, it told the lower court to reconsider allowing LinkedIn to notify an attorney for the affected news outlet, rejecting the idea that data being technically collectible justifies its seizure.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called the decision a major precedent, arguing it reinforces legal protection for confidential sources against sweeping surveillance demands aimed at tech platforms. The ruling suggests courts may increasingly weigh national security justifications against press freedom when government investigations target reporters' digital communications rather than just traditional phone or email records.
- A federal appeals court rejected a bulk DOJ request for journalists' LinkedIn DMs in a leak investigation.
- The court ordered reconsideration of letting LinkedIn notify an attorney for the targeted news outlet, despite a secrecy order.
- Press freedom advocates say the ruling strengthens legal protections for confidential journalistic sources against dragnet surveillance.
Source: yro.slashdot.org, 2026-11-11
Published there as: “Court Says Trump Can't Use Leaks To Justify Spying On Journalists' LinkedIn DMs”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.