Law enforcement data request guidelines
Introduction
These operational guidelines outline the procedures for data disclosure requests ("Requests") made by law enforcement agencies to Verychat Inc. ("the Company" or "Verychat Inc") regarding VERYCHAT users.
The Company always responds to requests from law enforcement agencies in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and may deviate from these guidelines in response to specific legal and/or internal considerations. We reserve the right to modify these guidelines without notice as necessary, taking into account evolving legal requirements and organizational needs.
The Company provides private customer information to law enforcement agencies when legally required to do so. We carefully scrutinize all requests to ensure compliance with the law. When appropriate or relevant, the Company may require the requesting agency to provide appropriate legal and/or supporting documentation before disclosing the requested customer information. Such documentation may include, but is not limited to, court orders, subpoenas, search warrants, authorization documents, and/or other valid legal procedures.
Practically, the Company does not retain all customer information and/or customer content and may occasionally delete, depersonalize, or revise it. Some customer information and/or customer content may not be retained at all, and if retained, may not be retained for long periods and/or in a comprehensive manner. Some of the Company's customer information and/or customer content is regularly overwritten, removed, or destroyed.
Disclaimer for Data Requests Not Held by Verychat Inc: Occasionally, the Company receives disclosure requests for data that does not belong to or is not maintained by Verychat Inc but is held by separate entities or affiliates. If the data and/or information is not maintained by Verychat Inc or falls outside the authority of Verychat Inc, we cannot provide assistance with such requests. It is the responsibility of the requesting agency to appropriately direct requests to other entities and/or affiliates as necessary.
What types of requests do we respond to?
We respond to the following types of requests:
Preservation Requests
We comply with requests from requesting agencies to preserve specific records or data for a reasonable period in accordance with applicable laws and regulations until valid legal proceedings are initiated. If no formal legal request for preserved information is received by the end of the preservation period, the preserved information may be deleted upon expiration of the preservation period. In addition to the information ("Request Form") described below, preservation requests must be sent on official letterhead from the requesting law enforcement agency and must include a statement detailing the steps being taken to obtain legal processes for the desired data for preservation. Additional support and/or legal documentation may be required before responding to preservation requests in certain cases. All rights related to this are fully and explicitly reserved by us. Preservation requests can be submitted through the method described below.
Emergency Requests
These are requests from authorities that give us the goodwill to trust in urgent situations involving imminent risk of death, serious bodily injury to a person, or harm to a child.
We evaluate emergency requests on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. If deemed appropriate or necessary, we may request the requesting authorities to provide relevant legal and/or support documents confirming the approval of the request and/or the legal basis without unnecessarily endangering or delaying our response to the request.
Legal Process Requests
These are requests made in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. This may include requests arising from valid search warrants, subpoenas, or other valid legal processes, or valid requests made through mutual legal assistance agreements and channels. If deemed appropriate or necessary, we may request the requesting authorities to provide relevant legal and/or support documents confirming the approval of the request and/or the legal basis.
Data Retention and Disclosure
We always retain and disclose data only in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and our general Terms of Service (including our Privacy Policy).
Request Form
We respond only to written requests prepared in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Please clearly specify the following:
Requesting agency;
Identity, position, badge/identification number, and credentials of the specific person and/or representative ("Requesting Agent") handling the request;
Relevant authorization documents of specific executives and/or representatives of the requesting agency, if applicable;
Contact details of the contact person for the request, including phone number, email address (must be from the requesting agency's email domain), and postal address;
Request response date;
VERYCHAT user(s) related to the request (including user identification information/VERYCHAT ID/account details);
Specific data and/or documents requested by us regarding the relationship between the relevant user/account and the investigation related to the request;
Basis of the request, including specific provisions of the relevant law relied upon, and detailed information about the nature of the investigation, procedures, and/or processes conducted by the requesting agency, if applicable.
We may not respond to ambiguous or incomplete requests.
User Notification
We respect the rights and privacy of our users. Therefore, except where prohibited by applicable law or regulation or where we reasonably believe that doing so would violate legal process conditions (e.g., a gag order), we may notify the relevant user(s) before disclosing data requests. Such disclosure may pose an immediate [serious] risk to us or a third party.
Law enforcement officials who believe that notification would jeopardize a law enforcement investigation must obtain a specific court order or legal process prohibiting member notification. It is the responsibility of law enforcement officials to request that we do not notify the customer of your request if notification would jeopardize a law enforcement investigation. We will carefully consider your request, and compliance with it will be subject to applicable law or regulation. All rights related to this matter are explicitly reserved.
If a user's data request highlights ongoing or past violations of our Terms of Service, we will take measures to prevent further abuse, including notifying the user of their misconduct. If we reasonably believe that such measures would jeopardize an ongoing investigation, it is your responsibility to request a deferral of such measures. This includes, but is not limited to, providing a specific court order or legal process prohibiting such notification. We will carefully consider your request, and compliance with it will be subject to applicable law or regulation. All rights related to this matter are explicitly reserved.
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) Requests
We respond to requests of an international nature made under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties ("MLAT") and other applicable agreements, treaties, or protocols concluded between Singapore and other foreign jurisdictions. MLATs and other relevant agreements, treaties, or protocols generally determine ways in which countries, such as Singapore and others, can assist each other in legal matters, such as criminal investigations or enforcement procedures. Through MLATs or other requests, a foreign government may seek assistance from the Singapore government in obtaining evidence from institutions like Verychat Inc. If the Singapore government approves a foreign government's MLAT or other request and provides us with the corresponding approval document, we will make our best efforts to provide assistance in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Cost Reimbursement
Subject to the limits allowed by applicable laws and regulations, we may seek reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to requests.
Expert Testimony Support
We do not provide expert testimony support except to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations.
Where Should Requests Be Sent?
All requests should be sent to the following contact:
Please email policy@verychat.io with the subject "Law Enforcement Disclosure Request".
Please note:
Requests sent to the above contact may take longer to process than those sent elsewhere.
We do not review correspondence sent to the above contact from anyone other than law enforcement agencies.
Any acceptance by us of legal processes through the above contact information is for convenience only and does not constitute a waiver of our rights or opposition to service or jurisdictional defects.
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