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These guidelines are for law enforcement and government agencies, and for parties in civil cases, who are seeking information about Hypefindr users. We disclose user records only in accordance with our Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy and applicable law, including the US Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq.). Users should read these guidelines too: they explain what we will and will not hand over.
1. Where to send requests
Email hype.hypefindr@gmail.com with the subject "Law Enforcement," or send by mail to Hypefindr, Attn: Legal Process, 300 North College Street, Northfield, Minnesota 55057, United States. We accept service of legal process by email for convenience only, without waiving any objection. We do not accept requests through the app or social media.
2. What a request must include
- Name of the issuing agency or party, and the requesting officer's or attorney's name, badge or bar number, official email address and phone number. We do not respond to requests sent from personal or free email accounts.
- The username, profile link, phone number or email address of the account.
- The specific records requested and a date range. Overbroad requests will be narrowed or refused.
- The legal authority and a signed copy of the process.
- Any nondisclosure order.
3. What legal process we require
| Information | Examples | Process required |
|---|---|---|
| Basic subscriber information | Name, email, phone number, account creation date, sign-up IP address, session IP addresses | Subpoena, under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(c)(2) |
| Other non-content records | Sign-in session records (IP address and app user agent), app usage events and error reports (device model, iOS and app version, install ID), friend lists, crew membership, the plans a user is attending or saved as favorites, people saying they're coming from share pages (a random browser ID and a hashed IP address, not linked to any account), feedback sent from the app (with the screen, app and iOS version and iPhone model), records of moderation decisions | Court order under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d), or search warrant |
| Location records | Check-in records (the event, the time, the distance in meters and how the check-in happened), and the locations attached to posts, streams and events | Search warrant |
| Content | Posts, photos, videos, live stream preview clips, live chat | Search warrant, under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(a) and (b) |
| Real-time or prospective data | Interception, pen register or trap and trace | The order the law requires; we may lack the technical ability to comply |
What we do not have. We do not store users' device coordinates or any history of their movements. We do not record live streams. Hypefindr has no private messaging. Live chat is deleted 7 days after a live ends, or 90 days if it was reported, so older chat may no longer exist. A post that rolled off a user's profile or was deleted is no longer in our database, and its photo or video file is deleted from storage shortly after, usually within minutes. A plan that was called off or taken down is deleted straight away. We cannot answer requests for every user who was near a place at a time ("geofence" requests), and we will object to such requests and to keyword or reverse-search requests that are overbroad.
4. Emergencies
We may disclose information without legal process when we believe in good faith that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay (18 U.S.C. § 2702(b)(8) and (c)(4)). Email hype.hypefindr@gmail.com with the subject "EMERGENCY." Describe the emergency, who is at risk, why it is imminent, and exactly what information you need and how it will help. Include a signed statement from the requesting officer. We may verify the request by calling the agency. Any non-emergency request sent as an emergency will be refused.
5. Preservation
We preserve records for 90 days on a valid request under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f), and for one further 90-day period on a formal extension request. Preservation does not disclose anything; you must still serve the required process.
6. Notice to users
Our policy is to notify users before we disclose their information, so they can seek to protect their rights. We do not give notice when a court order or law prohibits it (for example, under 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b)), in emergencies, in cases of child sexual exploitation, or when notice would create a risk of harm or be counterproductive. When a nondisclosure order expires, we may notify the user.
7. Child exploitation
We report apparent child sexual exploitation to NCMEC as US federal law requires, and we give priority to law enforcement requests in these cases.
8. Requests from outside the United States
Foreign governments must use a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, letters rogatory, or an agreement under the CLOUD Act. We may respond to emergency requests from outside the United States under Section 4.
9. Civil cases
The Stored Communications Act prohibits us from disclosing the content of users' communications to private parties, even with a subpoena. In civil cases we may produce non-content records in response to a valid subpoena properly served. We notify the user and give them at least 14 days to object before we produce anything. Parties seeking content should get it from the user directly.
10. Records authentication and costs
We authenticate records with a declaration under Federal Rules of Evidence 902(11) or 902(13), or the state equivalent. We do not provide custodian testimony unless a court requires it. We may seek reimbursement of our costs where 18 U.S.C. § 2706 or other law allows.
11. Our position
We review every request for legal sufficiency. We may object to, narrow or refuse requests that are overbroad, unclear, or not supported by valid process. We do not build back doors into the Services, and we do not give any government direct access to user data.
Related: Terms of Service · Privacy Policy · Community Guidelines · Live Streaming and Recording Policy · Events, Safety and Assumption of Risk · Child Safety Policy · Content Removal Requests · Points, Scores and Referral Program Terms · Enforcement, Moderation and Appeals · Website and Cookie Notice