Law Enforcement Guidelines
Law Enforcement Guidelines
- What is Snoonet?
- Data Retention Information
- How do I make a preservation request?
- Requests for Snoonet Account Information
- Emergency Disclosure Requests
- Foreign law enforcement requests
- Submit a request
These guidelines provide U.S. law enforcement with information about Snoonet, its business and user records, and the legal process required to compel Snoonet to produce information regarding Snoonet users in the course of criminal and civil investigations.
This guide is for informational purposes only. It is not a commitment by Snoonet to take specific action in a given circumstance and creates no contractual obligation.
Snoonet takes the privacy of its users seriously. Snoonet therefore insists on compliance with procedural requirements, scrutinizes requests and legal process for facial validity and legal sufficiency, and objects to legal process, when appropriate. Although Snoonet provides these guidelines, Snoonet does not waive and expressly reserves all available rights and objections and your compliance with these guidelines does not necessarily equate with compliance with the relevant legal requirements.
What is Snoonet?
Snoonet is an Internet Relay Chat Network designed to be used by Reddit communities and users. Snoonet is not affiliated with Reddit, Inc. in any way.
What Account Information does Snoonet have?
• Users are not required to register their nicknames and therefore email addresses are not always available
• If a user does choose to register their nickname, they are required to provide a valid email address to receive a verification code
Data Retention Information
User Account Information is retained by Snoonet in accordance with Snoonet’s privacy policy; some information is collected by Snoonet automatically and some information is provided to Snoonet at the user’s discretion.
What information exists once a user has deleted their user account?
• Backup records of the account may be available but will vary depending on the time elapsed since the deletion.
How do I make a preservation request?
We do not retain data for law enforcement purposes unless we receive a valid preservation request before a user has deleted that content from our platform or before the Preservation Period expires.
Consistent with 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f), Snoonet will preserve records for up to 90 days pending issuance of legal process if it receives a written preservation request in the form noted below:
- Signed by the requesting official;
- Include the Snoonet user name;
- Identify the records to be preserved;
- Identify the time period for which records are to be preserved (maximum 90 days);
- Confirm that valid legal process is forthcoming;
- Have a valid return official email address; and
- Be sent on law enforcement letterhead to lawenforcement [at] snoonet.org with the subject line reading “Preservation Request – User: [insert relevant username here]”.
Unless Snoonet receives an additional preservation request, Snoonet will, after 90 days, release the preservation and the preserved records will be subject to Snoonet’s normal retention or destruction schedules.
Will users be notified of a preservation request on their user account?
No. However, users will be notified of any subsequent legal process that is not accompanied by a valid non-disclosure order issued by the court.
Requests for Snoonet Account Information
Requests for user account information from law enforcement must be directed to Snoonet.
Snoonet reviews legal process to ensure facial validity and legal sufficiency under applicable laws and regulations, such as the federal Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701.
All legal process and requests for user information must be:
• narrowly tailored,
• specifically identify the account/user at issue, and
• specifically identify the information sought (e.g. connection information) which cannot otherwise be obtained online.
Snoonet cannot respond to invalid, overbroad, or vague requests. Snoonet also reviews all legal process and requests to ensure they are not objectionable for other reasons, such as requests that seek confidential or proprietary information, privileged information, or information protected from disclosure under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Legal Sufficiency - Federal Law Enforcement Officers
Administrative, Trial or Grand Jury Subpoena
• Basic user information
Section 2703(d) Order
• Basic user information. • Connection Information
Search Warrant
• Basic user information • Connection information
Legal Sufficiency - State Law Enforcement Officers
Subpoena
• Name (generally not available), address (generally not available), online contact information, services used, length of service
Search Warrant
• All other content (IP logs, connection information, user connection histories)
Will users be notified of a request for information on their user account?
Yes, unless Snoonet is prohibited from doing so by statute or a valid court order, Snoonet’s policy is to provide notice of requests and legal process seeking a subscriber’s information to that subscriber. Snoonet will generally give the user a reasonable period of time to file an objection to production before producing responsive records. Where a statute or court order prohibits notice for a limited time period, Snoonet provides notice upon expiration of that period.
In emergency or exigent circumstances, Snoonet may exercise its discretion not to provide a user with notice of a request for their account information prior to production to law enforcement. However, Snoonet reserves the right to provide notice to affected users after production has occurred.
Production of Records
We provide responsive records in electronic format. In accordance with 18 U.S.C. §2706, reimbursement for the costs associated with production may be requested.
Witness Testimony
Snoonet does not provide expert witness testimony and does not have witnesses on call who are available to testify.
Emergency Disclosure Requests
Snoonet evaluates these requests on a case-by-case basis and may request additional information to verify the nature of the request and the requestor’s identity. It does not commit to producing records under any set of circumstances or within a particular timeline. To seek to compel Snoonet to produce information, please obtain and personally serve valid and sufficient legal process.
Will users be notified of an emergency request on their user account?
Snoonet may exercise its discretion to delay notice to users when emergency disclosure requests are received.
Foreign law enforcement requests
A Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request or letter rogatory may be required to compel the disclosure of the account information or connection information.
Submit a request
Click here to submit a law enforcement request.