Law Enforcement Guidelines

1. Purpose

Vortex is an online chat and community service. Like any U.S.-based electronic communications provider, we're subject to the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 2701–2712) and other applicable federal and state law governing when we can, and must, disclose information about our users to the government. This page explains what legal process we require for different types of data, and how to submit a request. It applies to requests from government agencies, law enforcement, and parties acting under legal process (such as civil subpoenas) - not to Vortex users themselves.

2. Legal Process We Require

We disclose different categories of information depending on the legal process provided, consistent with the tiers set out in the Stored Communications Act. This is our general practice, not a guarantee of what any specific request will receive - we review every request individually and may require a higher standard than the minimum described here, or object where a request is legally deficient, overbroad, or not properly issued.

We require the request to identify the Vortex account clearly (username, account email, or user ID where known), specify the particular records sought, and be issued by a court or authority with jurisdiction over Vortex. We do not accept requests sent by personal or unverifiable email addresses - requests should come from an official government or law enforcement domain, or be otherwise independently verifiable.

3. Emergency Disclosure Requests

Where we have a good-faith belief that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to a person requires disclosure without delay, we may voluntarily disclose limited information consistent with 18 U.S.C. § 2702(b)(8), without legal process. This is a narrow exception we apply conservatively - it is not a substitute for legal process in non-emergency cases, and we may still require follow-up legal process for anything beyond what's necessary to address the immediate emergency.

To submit an emergency request, include: the specific nature of the emergency, the specific information needed and why it will help address the emergency, the Vortex account(s) involved, and your name, agency, and a callback number/official email we can use to verify you.

4. Preservation Requests

We accept preservation requests under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(f). Send us the account identifier and the categories of records to preserve, and we will preserve existing records pending receipt of formal legal process, for the period provided by law. A preservation request is not itself a basis for disclosure - you'll still need the appropriate legal process from Section 2 to obtain the preserved records.

5. How to Submit a Request

Send legal process to:

Vortex Enterprises
240 N Broadway
Denver, CO 80203

or by email to admin@vortexos.net with "Legal Process" in the subject line. Include a callback number or official email so we can verify the request's authenticity before acting on it. We aim to acknowledge properly served requests promptly and will contact you if a request is incomplete, unclear, or requires clarification before we can respond.

6. Notice to Affected Users

Except where prohibited by law (such as a court-ordered non-disclosure/gag order under 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b)) or where we determine notice would create a genuine risk to a person's safety or an active investigation, our practice is to notify the affected user before disclosing their account information in response to legal process. This does not apply to emergency disclosures under Section 3 or to CSAM reports described in Section 7.

7. CSAM Reports & NCMEC CyberTipline

Separately from responding to legal process, Vortex runs uploaded images and files through automated content moderation and human review, and is legally required under 18 U.S.C. § 2258A to report apparent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) whenever we become aware of it - whether through automated flags, staff review, or a user report - to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) CyberTipline, along with available account information. This is a proactive report we make on our own initiative, not something that requires a request from you.

If you're investigating a matter connected to a CyberTipline report, the fastest path is usually to work with NCMEC directly using the report number, rather than serving Vortex independently - NCMEC forwards reports (and the underlying reported content, which we don't otherwise retain longer than legally required) to the appropriate law enforcement agency. We still honor properly issued legal process seeking additional account information connected to a report, per Section 2.

8. Requests from Outside the United States

Vortex is operated from, and stores data in, the United States. Non-U.S. government agencies should generally proceed through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) request via the U.S. Department of Justice, or another mechanism recognized under U.S. law, unless the emergency-disclosure standard in Section 3 applies. We evaluate direct requests from non-U.S. authorities on a case-by-case basis and may require the request to be domesticated through a U.S. court before we act on it.

9. Costs

We don't currently charge a fee for processing valid legal process, but we reserve the right to seek reimbursement of reasonable costs for unusually burdensome requests to the extent permitted by law.

10. Contact

For anything not covered here, or to follow up on a pending request, contact admin@vortexos.net.