X (Twitter) Preservation and Emergency Requests: Police Template

X (formerly Twitter) publishes detailed preservation instructions, including what the request must look like and when to ask for an extension. It also publishes a step list for emergency disclosure requests. This guide covers only those two routes, using what X’s own guidelines for law enforcement say, with an adaptable template for each. For the general picture (subpoena, court order and warrant tiers, notice policy, data held), see our X (Twitter) law enforcement data request guide. This page is not legal advice, and where X’s page is silent we say so.

Who can use these routes

X’s guidelines are for law enforcement authorities seeking information about X accounts. To reach the submission site you enter your full name and an official email address, an authorisation link is emailed to you, and you confirm that you have any required legal authority and that the submission is a permitted use. X states that no other uses of the form are permitted. The site’s landing page also takes other legal requests (it names law enforcement agents, government officials and other third parties submitting a valid legal request), but X’s guidelines describe preservation as requests “from law enforcement” and emergency disclosure requests as submitted by law enforcement officers. It also says a request may lead to a review of the account for Terms of Service violations. If you have trouble or need access to the site, X points to its law enforcement web form (support.x.com/forms/lawenforcement) with “other inquiries” selected.

Preservation requests: what X says

Scope and period. “Where legally appropriate,” X accepts law enforcement requests to preserve records that constitute potentially relevant evidence in legal proceedings. It will preserve, but not disclose, a temporary snapshot of the relevant account records for 90 days pending service of valid legal process.

What the request must look like. X says preservation requests should: be signed by the requesting official; have a valid return official email address; be sent on law enforcement letterhead in a non-editable format; and include the @username and URL of the subject X profile and/or the account’s unique, public user identification number (UID), or a Periscope username and URL.

Extensions. X says it may honour requests for extensions but encourages agencies to seek records through the appropriate channels in a timely manner, because it cannot guarantee the requested information will be available. If you will extend, X recommends submitting at least 7 days before the end of the preservation period and asks that extensions be submitted as a separate request. For comparison, 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f) (current text; last amended in 2018) provides that 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.”

What may not be there. X says it retains different information for different lengths of time and that, given X’s real-time nature, some information (for example IP logs) may be stored for only a very brief period. It also says it cannot guarantee the accuracy of stored information: X does not require real-name use, email verification or identity authentication. Move early.

User notice. X’s policy is to notify users of requests for their account information, including a copy of the request, unless prohibited (it cites an order under 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b) as an example) and asks that any non-disclosure provision include a specified duration, such as 90 days. Exceptions may include emergencies regarding imminent threat to life, child sexual exploitation or terrorism. The page does not separately address notice of a preservation request.

Emergency disclosure requests: what X says

X says it evaluates emergency disclosure requests case by case. If it receives information giving it a good faith belief that there is an exigent emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to a person, it may provide any available information necessary to prevent that harm. The statutory basis is 18 U.S.C. § 2702(b)(8) (contents) and § 2702(c)(4) (records): 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 permits disclosure; it does not compel it. X states no response time.

X asks you to include all of the following:

• an indication on your cover sheet, on law enforcement letterhead, that you are submitting an Emergency Disclosure Request;
• the identity of the person in danger of death or serious physical injury;
• the nature of the emergency (X’s examples: report of suicide, terrorist attack, bomb threat);
• the @username and URL of the subject account(s) whose information is necessary to prevent the emergency;
• any specific posts you would like X to review;
• the specific information requested and why it is necessary to prevent the emergency;
• the signature of the submitting officer; and
• all other available details or context.

Separately, under “Contact information”, X’s page prints a “Colorado SB 26-011 Law Enforcement Hotline: 938-300-4347”. X says the hotline is exclusively for Colorado law enforcement personnel, that you call the number to submit an inquiry, and that for security reasons it will respond only by email to an authenticated law enforcement email address. X does not describe it as an emergency disclosure route; for emergencies X points to the Legal Request Submissions site. Foreign agencies: X names the Legal Request Submissions site as the designated single point of contact for EU member States’ authorities under Article 11 of the Digital Services Act, and says requests under Articles 9 and 10 must be in English. X also says account information requests should be directed to X Corp. in Austin, Texas or X Internet Unlimited Company in Dublin, Ireland (the data controller for people in the EU or EEA), and that it responds to MLAT requests and letters rogatory upon proper service, asking that MLAT requests say so and name the originating country.

Templates

Plain text, to be adapted to your agency’s format and printed on letterhead as X requires. Not legal advice. Replace every bracketed item.

Template 1: preservation request

[ON AGENCY LETTERHEAD; SEND AS A NON-EDITABLE FILE, E.G. PDF]

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

To: X Corp., Attn: Safety - Legal Policy (or X Internet Unlimited Company, Dublin, for EU/EEA users), via the Legal Request Submissions site
From: [AGENCY NAME], [UNIT]
Requesting official: [NAME, RANK, BADGE/ID NUMBER]
Valid return official email: [[email protected]]
Direct phone: [NUMBER]
Agency case/reference number: [CASE NUMBER]
Date of request: [DATE]

1. Account to preserve
X @username: [@USERNAME]
Profile URL: [https://x.com/USERNAME]
Unique user ID (UID), if known: [UID]
Periscope username and URL, if relevant: [USERNAME / URL]

2. Records to preserve
A snapshot of the relevant account records: [RECORD CATEGORIES, e.g. basic subscriber information, IP logs] for [START DATE] to [END DATE].

3. Authority and purpose
Request by a governmental entity under 18 U.S.C. 2703(f) in connection with an official criminal investigation ([OFFENCE OR STATUTE, IN GENERAL TERMS]). Valid legal process ([SUBPOENA / COURT ORDER / SEARCH WARRANT]) is being sought and will be served.

4. Notice
[STATE WHETHER A NON-DISCLOSURE ORDER EXISTS, ITS LEGAL BASIS AND DURATION, OR LEAVE BLANK].

5. Extension
If needed, an extension will be submitted as a separate request on or before [DATE, AT LEAST 7 DAYS BEFORE THE END OF THE PERIOD].

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

Template 2: emergency disclosure request

[ON AGENCY LETTERHEAD, COVER SHEET]

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

To: X Corp., via the Legal Request Submissions site
From: [AGENCY NAME], [UNIT]
Submitting officer: [NAME, RANK, BADGE/ID NUMBER]
Official email: [[email protected]]
Direct phone (reachable now): [NUMBER]
Case/reference number: [CASE NUMBER]
Date and time: [DATE, TIME, TIME ZONE]

1. Person in danger of death or serious physical injury
[IDENTITY, OR DESCRIPTION IF NOT YET KNOWN]

2. Nature of the emergency
[E.G. REPORT OF SUICIDE / THREAT: FACTS KNOWN, WHO REPORTED, WHEN]

3. Subject account(s)
X @username(s) and URL(s): [@USERNAME, https://x.com/USERNAME]
Specific posts for review, if any: [POST URLS]

4. Information requested and why it is necessary to prevent the emergency
[SPECIFIC INFORMATION, e.g. IP logs, subscriber information] for [START] to [END]. [WHY THIS IS NEEDED TO PREVENT THE HARM.]

5. Other details and context
[ANY OTHER AVAILABLE DETAILS]

I am a law enforcement officer acting in my official capacity and I believe in good faith that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury requires disclosure without delay.

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

Common mistakes X’s guidance points to

• Wrong format. X asks for law enforcement letterhead, a signature, a valid official return email and a non-editable format for preservation requests.
• Combining an extension with a new request. X asks that extensions be submitted as a separate request, and at least 7 days before expiry.
• Waiting. X cannot guarantee requested information will be available, and some data (IP logs) may be kept only briefly.
• Overly broad or vague requests. For account information requests X says it is unable to process them, and asks you to confirm the information sought is not publicly available (for example posts that are not protected).
• Not using the submission site. X says governmental entities that do not submit through the Legal Request Submissions site should expect longer response times.
• Non-law enforcement requests. X says these belong in its Help Center, not the legal request site.

Related

• X (Twitter) law enforcement data request guide (legal process tiers, data held)
• Investigator handbook: United States

Sources

• X Help Center: Guidelines for law enforcement (read 24 October 2026)
• X: Legal Request Submissions site (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)

X can change its guidelines at any time, so re-read them 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.