Law Enforcement Guidelines

Our approach to legal requests

Passings takes user privacy seriously. We review every government or law enforcement request carefully and only disclose information when we are legally required to do so. We notify affected users of requests for their data unless prohibited by law or court order.

We do not have a backdoor into our system. Vault documents are encrypted client-side with AES-256 — Passings does not hold the decryption keys and cannot produce plaintext vault contents even with a valid court order.

Required legal process

The type of legal process required depends on the information requested:

• Basic subscriber information (name, email, account creation date): requires a valid subpoena, court order, or search warrant.
• Account activity and metadata (login history, IP addresses, plan activity logs): requires a court order under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d) or a valid search warrant.
• Content of communications or stored files: requires a valid search warrant issued under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Note: vault documents are client-side encrypted and unavailable to Passings regardless of process.

How to submit a request

All law enforcement requests must be submitted in writing to:

Each request must include:

• The name and badge/ID number of the requesting officer or agent
• The name and contact information of the supervising officer or prosecutor
• The legal process document (subpoena, court order, or warrant) as a PDF attachment
• The specific user identifiers requested (email address, user ID, or username)
• The specific information or time period requested
• Confirmation of the legal authority and jurisdiction

Response timeline

• Standard requests: response within 5 business days of receipt of valid legal process
• Expedited requests (documented exigent circumstances): response within 2 business days
• Emergency requests (imminent risk to life): responded to as soon as practicable — use the EMERGENCY DISCLOSURE REQUEST subject line

Invalid or insufficient process will be returned with an explanation of what is required. We do not respond to informal requests, phone calls, or requests without valid legal process documentation.

User notification

Unless prohibited by a court order, a sealing order, or applicable law, Passings intends to notify the affected user that their data has been requested before complying with the request, where technically practicable. This gives users an opportunity to seek legal counsel and, if appropriate, to challenge the request.

Emergency disclosures involving imminent risk to life may be made without prior user notification, consistent with 18 U.S.C. § 2702(b)(8).

What we do not have

Regardless of the legal process presented, Passings cannot produce:

• Plaintext vault document contents (AES-256 client-side encrypted; we do not hold keys)
• Decrypted plan data for users who have set a vault password (client-side key derivation)
• Prospective real-time interception of any communications
• Historical communications from before account creation

Preservation requests

We will preserve records for 90 days upon receipt of a valid preservation request under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f). Preservation requests should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line PRESERVATION REQUEST. Preservation can be extended for one additional 90-day period upon renewed request.

International requests

Passings is a U.S.-based company and is subject to U.S. law. International law enforcement agencies should submit requests through the appropriate mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) process or via the U.S. Department of Justice. We do not respond directly to requests from foreign governments outside the MLAT framework.

Contact

For legal process and law enforcement inquiries: [email protected]

For safety concerns not related to legal process, see our Trust & Safety page.