Retrieving publicly accessible data and then giving it to anyone else is the problem when the data contains the identities of witnesses for ongoing criminal investigations.
I’m really far on the side of hackers here, but I’m having trouble justifying sending any data whatsoever to journalists related to criminal investigations. Even one witness’s name, sent merely to prove that the breach happened, could be enough to cause direct harm to that case if the reporter decided to reveal it. You don’t need to do that to show a reporter that the breach happened. And it’s up to the reporter themselves to prove the breach is real.
I’m really far on the side of hackers here, but I’m having trouble justifying sending any data whatsoever to journalists related to criminal investigations. Even one witness’s name, sent merely to prove that the breach happened, could be enough to cause direct harm to that case if the reporter decided to reveal it. You don’t need to do that to show a reporter that the breach happened. And it’s up to the reporter themselves to prove the breach is real.