Note to law enforcement: Chatterly responds to valid legal requests as required by law. This page describes what limited data we hold, what legal process is required, and how to submit a request.
Child safety emergency? If you are investigating the sexual exploitation of a child (CSAM), you may submit an emergency request without a formal legal order. Include your agency name, badge number, supervising officer contact, and a brief description of the emergency. We will respond as quickly as possible. In the United States, CSAM must also be reported to NCMEC.
Chatterly is committed to user privacy. We minimise data collection and automatically delete user sessions. At the same time, we recognise that law enforcement plays a vital role in protecting people from harm. We will comply with all valid legal process and will work cooperatively with investigators where legally permitted.
We reserve the right to notify users of legal requests unless prohibited by court order or applicable law.
Chatterly is designed to be privacy-preserving. The following is a complete list of data we may hold about a user:
| Data Type | Description | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| IP Address | The IP address from which the user connected | Up to 90 days in server logs |
| Nickname | The user-chosen display name (not a real name) | Deleted after 5 min inactivity; may appear in messages |
| Session timestamps | When the user connected and was last active | Up to 90 days in logs |
| Messages | Text messages sent between users | Up to 30 days in database |
| Profile info | Optional age, gender, country (user-provided, unverified) | Deleted with session |
| Reports | User reports submitted via the in-app report tool | Retained for safety purposes |
We do not collect: real names, email addresses, phone numbers, government IDs, payment information, or device identifiers. Profile information (age, gender, country) is user-provided and completely unverified.
The type of legal process required depends on the data requested:
| Data Requested | Required Legal Process |
|---|---|
| Basic connection logs (IP, timestamps) | Subpoena / Court Order |
| Message content | Search Warrant |
| All data associated with a user | Search Warrant |
| Emergency — imminent threat to life | Emergency Request (no order required) |
| CSAM investigation | Emergency Request accepted |
All legal process must be issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in the country where Chatterly operates. We will evaluate requests from foreign law enforcement on a case-by-case basis, subject to applicable mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) requirements.
Important: We are unable to process requests sent via postal mail, fax, or consumer email services (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.). Official law enforcement email domains only. Requests that do not comply with the format above will be returned without action.
If you need to preserve data while you obtain formal legal process, you may submit a preservation request (sometimes called a "freeze request"). Preservation requests do not require a court order but must come from a verified law enforcement email address and include the subject IP address or nickname and the reason for preservation.
We will preserve relevant data for 90 days upon receipt of a valid preservation request. A single 90-day extension may be granted upon request.
We will comply with lawful non-disclosure orders that prohibit us from notifying the user about a legal request. In the absence of such an order, our default policy is to notify affected users before disclosing their data unless doing so would obstruct an investigation into imminent harm or child exploitation.
Please be aware of the following limitations before submitting a request:
Sessions expire quickly. User sessions are automatically deleted after 5 minutes of inactivity. If a user has not been active recently, their session data may no longer exist. Act quickly when time-sensitive data is involved.
No real identity data. Chatterly does not require or verify any real identity information. IP addresses are the primary linkage between a session and a real-world identity — further investigation will be needed through an ISP.
We cannot modify content. We do not alter, add to, or create any records in response to legal requests. We can only provide data that was organically generated by the service.