A federal judge in the United States has ruled that prosecutors cannot directly search electronic devices seized from a journalist during a national security investigation, directing that the court itself review the material instead.
The case involves reporter Hannah Natanson of The Washington Post, whose phone, laptops, storage drives, and wearable technology were confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in January as part of an inquiry into possible unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
Authorities have argued that the search was necessary to investigate the potential release of sensitive government data that could pose security risks. Prosecutors said filter teams composed of investigators not connected to the case could review the materials and separate protected information from evidence relevant to the probe.
In Tuesday’s decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter rejected the government’s request for an unrestricted search of all seized digital data. The court instead ordered a supervised judicial examination of the contents.
