Meta Preservation and Emergency Requests: Police Guide and Template

Two requests sit in front of almost every Facebook or Instagram investigation: asking Meta to preserve an account’s records before legal process is ready, and, when a life is at risk, asking Meta to disclose without delay. This guide covers only those two, using what Meta’s own law enforcement guidelines say, with an adaptable template for each. For the general picture (subpoena, 2703(d) order and warrant tiers, data types, notification), see our Facebook and Instagram law enforcement data request guide. This page is not legal advice, and where Meta’s page is silent we say so rather than guess.

Who can use these routes

Meta’s guidelines are written for “law enforcement officials seeking records from Meta Platforms, Inc. or Meta Platforms Ireland Limited.” Meta Platforms Ireland Limited is the service provider and data controller for users in the European region; Meta Platforms, Inc. is the service provider for users outside it. The portal’s access page adds that requests may be made only by governmental entities authorised to obtain evidence in connection with official legal proceedings under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2703 and 2711, and the guidelines state that Meta will not review or respond to requests submitted by non-law enforcement officials. Private-party requests (civil litigants, criminal defendants) go through the Facebook and Instagram Help Centres instead.

Preservation requests: what Meta says

Route and wording. Under “Account preservation” Meta says it will take steps to preserve account records in connection with official criminal investigations for 90 days pending receipt of formal legal process, and that formal preservation requests may be submitted through the Law Enforcement Online Request System or by post. The portal’s access page says any “Preservation Request” should be made through that system.

What the request must contain. Meta says it cannot process overly broad or vague requests. Every request must identify the records with particularity, including the specific data categories and date limitations, and include: the name of the issuing authority and agent, an email address from a law-enforcement domain, and a direct contact phone number; plus the email address, phone number (format +XXXXXXXXXX), user ID number or username of the Facebook profile. The page lists identifier formats for the Facebook profile only. It publishes no Instagram identifier format and does not say which Instagram identifiers the portal accepts, so give the Instagram identifier you hold exactly and follow the portal’s own fields.

Duration and extension. The 90 days is Meta’s stated period. Meta’s page does not say whether or how a preservation can be extended. The statute is more specific (current text; §§ 2702 and 2703 were last amended in 2018): 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f) says a provider, on the request of a governmental entity, “shall take all necessary steps to preserve records and other evidence in its possession pending the issuance of a court order or other process,” for 90 days, “extended for an additional 90-day period upon a renewed request by the governmental entity.” Diary the end date and renew in good time; do not assume the data will wait.

What is not preserved. Meta says it does not retain data for law enforcement purposes unless it receives a valid preservation request before a user has deleted that content from its service. Content already deleted before the request arrives is therefore not something a later preservation can restore. Meta’s page does not list which data categories a preservation captures.

User notice. Meta’s stated policy is to notify people of requests for their information prior to disclosure, unless prohibited by law or in exceptional circumstances such as child exploitation cases, emergencies or where notice would be counter-productive. Meta tells officials who believe notice would jeopardise an investigation to obtain an appropriate court order or other process establishing that notice is prohibited, and says it will also provide delayed notice once a specific non-disclosure period in a court order expires, if exceptional circumstances no longer exist and it is not otherwise prohibited. The page does not separately address notice of a preservation request.

Emergency disclosure requests: what Meta says

Meta says that in a matter “involving imminent harm to a child or risk of death or serious physical injury to any person and requiring disclosure of information without delay,” a law enforcement official may submit a request through the Law Enforcement Online Request System. The portal’s access page describes users as law enforcement agents or emergency responders investigating an emergency involving danger of serious physical injury or death. Meta adds that users aware of an emergency should contact local law enforcement directly, and that it may waive fees for emergency requests.

For the legal basis, 18 U.S.C. § 2702(b)(8) (contents) and § 2702(c)(4) (records) provide that a provider “may divulge” to a governmental entity if it, “in good faith, believes that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay” of communications (for (b)(8)) or information (for (c)(4)) “relating to the emergency.” The statute is permissive: it lets a provider disclose, it does not compel disclosure. Meta’s guidelines page does not state a response time and does not publish a separate emergency form or checklist beyond the general requirements above (the access page has a checkbox for “an authorized law enforcement agent or government employee investigating an emergency”), so write the request so the danger and the link to the account are clear on a single read. For child-safety matters, Meta asks you to say so and include relevant NCMEC report identifiers.

Templates

Both are plain text, to be adapted to your agency’s format and the portal’s own fields. They are not legal advice. Replace every bracketed item; never paste real case details into an unofficial channel.

Template 1: preservation request

PRESERVATION REQUEST (18 U.S.C. 2703(f))

To: Meta Platforms, Inc. (or Meta Platforms Ireland Limited if the user is in the European region), Law Enforcement Online Request System
From: [AGENCY NAME], [UNIT]
Issuing officer: [NAME, RANK, BADGE/ID NUMBER]
Official email (law-enforcement domain): [[email protected]]
Direct phone: [NUMBER]
Agency case/reference number: [CASE NUMBER]
Date of request: [DATE]

1. Account to preserve
Service: [FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM]
Identifier: [PROFILE URL, USER ID NUMBER, USERNAME, EMAIL ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER AS SUPPORTED]

2. Records to preserve (be specific)
[DATA CATEGORIES, e.g. basic subscriber records, login IP records, content categories] for the period [START DATE] to [END DATE].

3. Authority and purpose
This request is made by a governmental entity under 18 U.S.C. 2703(f) in connection with an official criminal investigation ([OFFENCE OR STATUTE, IN GENERAL TERMS]). Formal legal process ([SUBPOENA / 2703(d) ORDER / WARRANT]) is being sought and will follow.

4. Non-disclosure
[STATE WHETHER A COURT ORDER PROHIBITING NOTICE EXISTS, WITH ITS DURATION, OR LEAVE THIS BLANK].

5. Confirmation
Please confirm receipt and the preservation period to the email above. We will submit any renewal as a new request before the period ends: [DIARY DATE].

[SIGNATURE / NAME / TITLE]
(Adapt to your agency's format; not legal advice.)

Template 2: emergency disclosure request

EMERGENCY DISCLOSURE REQUEST (18 U.S.C. 2702(b)(8) and (c)(4))

To: Meta Platforms, Inc. (or Meta Platforms Ireland Limited if the user is in the European region), Law Enforcement Online Request System
From: [AGENCY NAME], [UNIT]
Officer: [NAME, RANK, BADGE/ID NUMBER]
Official email (law-enforcement domain): [[email protected]]
Direct phone (reachable now): [NUMBER]
Case/reference number: [CASE NUMBER]
Date and time of request: [DATE, TIME, TIME ZONE]

1. The emergency
Person at risk: [NAME OR DESCRIPTION, IF KNOWN]
Nature of danger of death or serious physical injury: [FACTS KNOWN TO YOU: WHAT WAS REPORTED, BY WHOM, WHEN]
Why disclosure is needed without delay: [E.g. THREAT STATED FOR [TIME]; LOCATION UNKNOWN]
Child-safety matter: [YES/NO]. NCMEC report identifiers, if any: [IDS]

2. Account
Service: [FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM]
Identifier: [PROFILE URL, USER ID NUMBER, USERNAME, EMAIL OR PHONE AS SUPPORTED]

3. Information requested and why it helps prevent the harm
[SPECIFIC DATA, e.g. recent login IP addresses, location information] for [START DATE/TIME] to [END DATE/TIME]. [ONE SENTENCE ON HOW IT HELPS LOCATE OR PROTECT THE PERSON.]

4. Attestation
I am a law enforcement official acting in my official capacity. I believe in good faith that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury requires disclosure without delay. Formal legal process [WILL / WILL NOT] follow: [DETAIL].

[SIGNATURE / NAME / TITLE]
(Adapt to your agency's format; not legal advice.)

Common mistakes Meta’s guidance points to

• Broad or vague scope. Meta will not process requests that do not identify records with particularity, including data categories and date limits.
• Wrong channel. Law Enforcement Content Review Requests and Law Enforcement Hacked Account Requests must go to a separate portal, officialrequests.meta.com/xreports/login, per the access page. Records and preservation requests stay with the Law Enforcement Online Request System.
• Not a law enforcement requester. Meta states it will not review requests from non-law enforcement officials, and will not respond to non-law enforcement correspondence at its postal addresses.
• Waiting too long. Meta says it does not retain data for law enforcement purposes unless a valid preservation request arrives before the user deletes that content.
• Postal submission by habit. Meta says officials who do not use the online system should expect longer response times.
• Wrong entity. US requests are addressed to Meta Platforms, Inc., 1 Meta Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025. For users in the European region the provider is Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland.

Related

• Facebook and Instagram law enforcement data request guide (legal process tiers, data available)
• Investigator handbook: United States

Sources

• Meta: Information for law enforcement authorities (read 24 October 2026)
• Meta: Law Enforcement Online Request System access page (read 24 October 2026; no sign-in attempted)
• 18 U.S.C. § 2703 (US Code, 2024 edition, govinfo.gov)
• 18 U.S.C. § 2702 (US Code, 2024 edition, govinfo.gov)
• US Code classification tables, 119th Congress (Office of the Law Revision Counsel): no amendment to § 2702 or § 2703 listed through Public Law 119-134 (checked 24 October 2026)

Meta’s published process can change at any time, so re-read its guidelines before filing. For other platforms and countries, use our police data-request directory. If you are a victim rather than an investigator, our country-by-country cybercrime help hub shows where to report.