Dont ComplyThe Fourth Circuit instructed a lower court to narrow the journalists' records LinkedIn must turn over in a leak investigation, Courthouse News reported. The government sought and obtained a disclosure order under the Stored Communications Act for an 18-month span of journalists' metadata, including conversations with sources, plus an order barring LinkedIn from telling users for one year. Writing for the panel, Judge Harvie Wilkinson said neither the Act nor the Constitution permits approval of orders that are, by all apparent indications, substantially overbroad. He denied LinkedIn's bid to quash the disclosure order entirely, citing the danger of classified leaks. The government described the article at issue as revealing a top-secret U.S. military operation abroad. Attorneys for LinkedIn and the government did not return requests for comment, the outlet reported.
Why it matters
The ruling addresses how far the government may go in obtaining journalists' communications with confidential sources and in keeping those demands secret. The court found the orders substantially overbroad while accepting the government's interest in investigating leaks of classified information.
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