A federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration's overly broad request for LinkedIn to hand over 18 months of communications from multiple journalists in connection with a leaked classified military report. Judges ruled the subpoena improperly swept up confidential sources with no link to the investigation, threatening First Amendment protections. A secrecy order preventing LinkedIn from disclosing the request for a year was also criticized by the court.
Background
The case centers on leaked top-secret military information published in a controversial news report that the Trump administration claims compromised national security. Government agencies have increasingly sought to identify leakers through social media data, raising concerns about journalist-source confidentiality.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Nov 12, 2026 at 02:05 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10