How Police in the United Kingdom Request Data from WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook
Authorised police and government officials in the United Kingdom can send preservation, emergency and records requests directly to Meta through its law-enforcement portals. For the content of messages, Meta says a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) request or letter rogatory may be required. the United Kingdom also has a CLOUD Act data-access agreement with the US (in force since October 3, 2022), which lets qualifying orders for serious crime go to US providers directly; see the legal notes below.
United Kingdom at a glance
| US mutual legal assistance treaty | In force since December 2, 1996Treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, with appendices and related exchange of notes Source |
|---|---|
| US CLOUD Act agreement | In force since October 3, 2022 Source |
| Budapest Convention on Cybercrime | Party (in force for it since 1 September 2011) Source |
| Requests to Meta (Jul - Dec 2025) | 12,416 total: 12,292 legal process, 124 emergency; some data produced in 84.79% Source |
How to make the request
- Preserve first. Send a preservation request so the account data is kept while legal process is prepared; Meta preserves records for 90 days pending formal process.
- Use the official portals with an official government email. Facebook and Instagram: Meta’s Law Enforcement Online Request System (facebook.com/records). WhatsApp: whatsapp.com/records. Step-by-step: our Facebook & Instagram and WhatsApp portal guides.
- Attach valid legal process under the United Kingdom’s law for records requests, and identify the account precisely (username, profile URL, phone number with country code).
- Emergencies: where there is imminent harm to a child or a risk of death or serious physical injury, use the portal’s emergency request route.
- Content: the United Kingdom also has a CLOUD Act data-access agreement with the US (in force since October 3, 2022), which lets qualifying orders for serious crime go to US providers directly; see the legal notes below. When to use which channel: MLAT vs LERS vs Interpol.
Meta’s guidelines: “A Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request or letter rogatory may be required to compel the disclosure of the contents of an account.” Source
Legal notes for United Kingdom
- Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Act 2019 s.1(1): 'A judge may, on an application by an appropriate officer, make an overseas production order against a person in respect of electronic data'; s.1(2)(a) the application must 'specify the designated international co-operation arrangement' relied on. This is the UK domestic mechanism used with the US-UK Data Access Agreement. Source
- Meta's UK page: 'To the extent Meta has received requests under the Investigatory Powers Act from the UK pursuant to the US-UK Data Access Agreement (which entered into force on October 3, 2022), reporting on any such requests will be delayed', so the 12,416 figure may exclude Data Access Agreement requests. Source
- The UK MLAT is supplemented by the 2004 instrument applying the US-EU MLA Agreement (signed London Dec 16, 2004, in force Feb 1, 2010, TIAS 10-201.49), still listed in Treaties in Force 2026. Source
Cybercrime unit in United Kingdom
National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) (National Crime Agency (NCA)). See cybercrime agencies in United Kingdom.
Treaty and request figures checked against the US State Department’s Treaties in Force, the US Department of Justice, the Council of Europe treaty office and Meta’s Transparency Center on 12 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Other platforms: the platform-by-platform LERS guide; every country: police data requests by country.