TikTok Law Enforcement Data Request: Police & Government Guide
Step-by-step guide to TikTok's Law Enforcement Data Request portal: how authorised police and government officials file preservation, records and emergency disclosure requests, what legal process each data type needs, and why Indian agencies must route via MLAT.
TikTok account and content investigations for law enforcement are handled through TikTok's Law Enforcement Data Request webform, operated by TikTok Inc. This is a step-by-step guide for authorised police and government officials, covering preservation requests, records (data) requests and emergency disclosure requests.
- Portal: tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest (the Law Enforcement Data Request webform)
- Emergency: tiktok.com/legal/report/EDR (Emergency Disclosure Request)
- Who can use it: sworn law-enforcement officials, from an official government / law-enforcement email domain
- The legal-process ladder: a subpoena gets basic subscriber data, a court order adds non-content interaction data, and a search warrant is required for content (videos and direct messages)
Before you start
- An official government / law-enforcement email address (personal emails are rejected).
- The target's TikTok username (and any known account URL, phone number or email).
- Your request on law-enforcement letterhead, signed and dated, with the requesting authority's name and location, the officer's name, badge/ID number, official email and phone, and the court/judge details where applicable.
- For a records request: the underlying legal process (subpoena, court order or search warrant), attached as a PDF. Anything not in English must include a translation.
1Open the Law Enforcement Data Request webform
- Go to tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest — or search "TikTok law enforcement request".
- Confirm you are a sworn law-enforcement official and enter your official law-enforcement email address.
- Attach supporting documents (warrant, court order, subpoena or equivalent) in PDF format.
2Submit a Preservation Request (no court order required to preserve)
A preservation request freezes the data tied to an account so it cannot be altered or deleted while you obtain legal process. Send it on law-enforcement letterhead, signed, clearly identifying the user data to preserve by username, data type and date range.
TikTok preserves the identified records for an initial 90 days, and will extend once for an additional 90-day period on a formal request to extend. TikTok will not generally honour multiple extensions beyond that single 90-day extension.
3Submit a Records (Data) Request
Submit the request through the same webform with the legal process attached as a PDF. What TikTok can disclose depends on the type of legal process served:
| Legal process | What TikTok may disclose |
|---|---|
| Subpoena (or equivalent) | Basic account subscriber information and log-in / log-out (IP) data. |
| Court order | The above, plus non-content interaction data (records about activity, not the messages or videos themselves). |
| Search warrant (or equivalent judicial order) | User-generated content — videos and direct messages. Content always requires a warrant or equivalent domestic judicial order. |
Non-US authorities generally cannot serve a domestic warrant on TikTok Inc. directly for content; those requests are routed through an MLAT or letters rogatory to the United States, or through TikTok's process for non-content requests where it accepts them.
4Emergency Disclosure Requests
Where there is an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury, use the separate Emergency Disclosure Request form at tiktok.com/legal/report/EDR. Emergency requests are evaluated case by case; if TikTok has a good-faith belief that an emergency exists, it may disclose the user data necessary to prevent the harm, as applicable law permits. Every emergency request must come from a sworn law-enforcement official on an official law-enforcement email domain.
Will the user be told?
Assume yes. TikTok's stated policy is to notify the user before disclosing their data, unless notice is prohibited by law, would jeopardise an investigation, or would put someone at risk of harm. If you need TikTok to delay notice, say so explicitly and explain why in the request.
Frequently asked questions
Does TikTok have a "LERS" portal like WhatsApp?
Not by that name. WhatsApp and Meta brand their portals "LERS" (Law Enforcement Response System); TikTok calls its equivalent the Law Enforcement Data Request webform, at tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest. It serves the same purpose.
Do I need a warrant to get TikTok videos or messages?
Yes. Content — videos and direct messages — requires a search warrant or equivalent domestic judicial order. A subpoena or court order only reaches subscriber and non-content data.
Can I preserve an account without a court order?
Yes. A preservation request needs no court order and holds the data for 90 days, extendable once by a further 90 days. You still need valid legal process to obtain the data itself.
Can Indian police get TikTok data?
Only via an MLAT or letters rogatory to the United States. TikTok has been banned in India since June 2020 and operates no India entity, so it cannot be served domestically the way WhatsApp or local platforms can.
Is there an emergency option?
Yes — the Emergency Disclosure Request form at tiktok.com/legal/report/EDR, for imminent threats to life or of serious physical injury, made by a sworn officer from an official law-enforcement email.
See also
- Overview: law-enforcement data-request portals across all platforms
- What is LERS? Law-Enforcement Response Systems, explained
- Facebook & Instagram: data request portal for police and government
- Telegram law-enforcement request: how to investigate Telegram