Law-Enforcement Request Process
In force from Mon, Oct 26, 2026. Last updated Mon, Oct 26, 2026.
This page is for police, prosecutors, courts and government bodies. It also tells our users when we may share their data.
1. One contact
Send every request to help@zellany.com and put "Law-enforcement request" in the subject. A request sent anywhere else, such as through chat or social media, may not be answered.
2. What we need to see
- A written request on official paper, with the name, office and contact details of the person asking.
- The legal basis: a court warrant or order, or a subpoena (a legal order to hand over information) from a body with the power to issue one.
- Exactly what you need: which account, item or chat, and which dates. We give only what the paper covers.
- A case or reference number, and your deadline.
We check that the request is real by calling the office back on a public number.
3. How we handle it
Two people check each request: is it real, valid and narrow enough? If it is too wide, we ask you to narrow it, or we ask the court or office that issued it to look again. We answer by your deadline when we can.
4. What we may share
- With a subpoena or court order: account details such as name, email, city and Shop papers.
- With a court warrant or order that covers it: chat content, photos and videos, and location or IP records.
5. What we never share without a lawful request
- Chats and messages, phone numbers and emails, location, IP records.
- Live access to chats: we do not watch chats in real time for anyone.
- Data for private people, such as another user or their lawyer, unless a court orders it.
6. Keeping data for a case
Send us a written request to preserve data. We freeze the named data so it is not deleted, for up to 6 months, and tell you when it ends. We keep security logs for at least 6 months. We hold abuse cases for up to 1 year, and up to 6 months more if a lawful request asks.
7. Emergencies
If someone is in immediate danger, such as a threat to life or a child at risk, write "EMERGENCY" in the subject line. We may share what is needed right away, and we write down what we shared and why. We aim to reply to emergencies within 24 hours, and sooner when we can. Zellany is not an emergency service: if you are in danger now, call your local emergency number first.
8. Telling the user
We tell the user about a request unless the order says not to, or telling them would put someone at risk.
9. Our records
We log each request: the date, who asked, the order or law, what we shared, who approved it and the ticket number. We keep the log as long as the law requires and as long as we need to show what we did.
10. Orders to remove items
Send them to the same contact. See the Notice-and-Takedown and Complaints Policy.
Laws behind this process: Internet Transactions Act (RA 11967) Secs. 21, 22; DTI Memorandum Circular 2025-04; Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175) Secs. 13, 14; RA 11930 Sec. 9; the Supreme Court's rules on cybercrime warrants.