US police confirm that Meta and Snapchat (parent company Snap Inc.) routinely delay or reject subpoenas and warrants [1A]. These tech giants frequently fail to provide law enforcement with critical information in a timely manner, and fail to take timely action against unlawful activity on their platforms.
This greatly hinders investigations in child abuse, sex trafficking, and drug cases.
Obtaining a response of any kind may require repeated requests and take weeks or months. Even then the response is often incomplete. Warrants have been rejected for technical errors as small as the misplacement of a dash or comma.
“Every day of delay puts a child at risk. It can exacerbate damage and even cost lives. We can’t afford to let the delays continue [1B].”
— Shawnna Hoffman, Chief Exec. of International Center for Missing and Exploited Children
While Meta contends that it produced data in 88% of the nearly 75,000 requests it received from authorities between July and December 2024, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children has called for clearer rules and faster processes. Continue reading
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