Legal process

Law enforcement guidelines

This page explains how SHY responds to legal requests for user data. It is written for law enforcement and legal professionals.

Service of process

SHY (operated by SHY, Kinloch, Missouri) accepts legal process at:

What process is required

• Basic subscriber records (name, email, account creation date): a valid subpoena or equivalent legal process.
• Non-content records (login timestamps, connection metadata): a court order or equivalent.
• Content (messages, photos): a search warrant or equivalent showing probable cause.

Emergency disclosure

Where SHY believes in good faith that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury requires disclosure without delay, SHY may disclose the information needed to address the emergency. Send emergency requests to the address above with "EMERGENCY" in the subject line, on agency letterhead, describing the nature of the emergency and the specific information sought.

Preservation requests

On receipt of a valid preservation request, SHY will preserve the identified records for 90 days, renewable once, pending issuance of legal process.

User notice

SHY's policy is to notify users of requests for their information before disclosure, unless notification is prohibited by law or a court order, or where SHY believes notice would create a risk of harm.

Child safety

SHY reports apparent child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by law.

This page describes SHY's current practice and is not a contract. It was last reviewed on August 19, 2026 and is pending legal counsel review.