Snapchat Transparency Reports are released twice a year. These reports provide important insight into the volume and nature of governmental requests for Snapchatters' account information and other legal notifications.
Since November 15, 2015, our policy has been to notify Snapchatters when we receive legal process seeking their account information, with exceptions for cases where we are legally prohibited from doing so, or when we believe there are exceptional circumstances (like child exploitation or an imminent risk of death or bodily injury).
At Snap, we support industry-wide efforts to improve content moderation reporting and transparency practices. In doing so, however, we recognize that technology platforms facilitate content creation, sharing, and retention in vastly different ways. As our platform evolves, so too, will Snap Transparency Reports, laying the groundwork to publish new categories of information to inform our community in the future. We support the spirit of the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation in creating a framework for best practices in content moderation.
For more information about how we handle law enforcement data requests, please take a look at our Law Enforcement Guide, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
Category
Requests
Account Identifiers
Percentage of requests where some data was produced
Total
6,828
11,188
87%
Subpoena
1,624
3,231
83%
PRTT
54
76
94%
Court Order
175
679
87%
Search Warrant
4,091
6,097
92%
EDR
801
911
69%
Wiretap Order
6
15
100%
Summons
77
179
75%
Country
Emergency Requests
Account Identifiers for Emergency Requests
Percentage of emergency requests where some data was produced
Other Information Requests
Account Identifiers for Other Requests
Percentage of other information request where some data was produced
Total
400
477
71%
469
667
0%
Argentina
0
0
N/A
5
5
0%
Australia
9
11
33%
13
29
0%
Austria
0
0
N/A
6
10
0%
Belgium
0
0
N/A
1
8
0%
Brazil
0
0
N/A
6
8
0%
Canada
120
134
82%
8
14
13%
Columbia
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Cyprus
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Denmark
0
0
N/A
10
11
0%
Estonia
0
0
N/A
2
2
0%
France
32
39
56%
73
108
0%
Germany
15
40
67%
67
96
0%
Hungary
0
0
N/A
1
13
0%
India
6
7
50%
29
36
0%
Ireland
0
0
N/A
4
5
0%
Israel
2
2
0%
2
4
0%
Lithuania
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Mexico
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Netherlands
6
7
33%
0
0
N/A
Norway
7
8
86%
21
39
0%
Poland
1
1
0%
2
3
0%
Slovenia
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Spain
0
0
N/A
1
1
0%
Sweden
6
8
50%
19
28
0%
Switzerland
9
14
56%
7
7
0%
United Arab Emirates
1
1
0%
1
1
0%
United Kingdom
186
205
74%
186
234
1%
National Security
Requests
Account Identifiers*
NSLs and FISA Orders/Directives
O-249
250-499
Removal Requests
Percentage of requests where some content was removed
0
N/A
Note: When we believe it is necessary to restrict content that is deemed unlawful in a particular country, but does not otherwise violate our policies, we seek to restrict access to it geographically when possible, rather than remove it globally.
Country
Number of requests
Number of posts removed or restricted or number of accounts suspended
Australia
25
27
United Kingdom
17
20
United States
4
4
DMCA Takedown Notices
Percentage of requests where some content was removed
60
45%
DMCA Counter-Notices
Percentage of requests where some content was reinstated
0
N/A
* “Account Identifiers” reflects the number of identifiers (e.g. username, email address, phone number, etc.) specified by law enforcement in legal process when requesting user information. Some legal process may include more than one identifier. In some instances, multiple identifiers may identify a single account. In instances where a single identifier is specified in multiple requests, each instance is included.