Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': "The FTC has authority to examine whether Signal's disclosure of data to third parties, including government actors, is consistent with its privacy representations.", 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Government and Legal Process Data Disclosure clause as low severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Government and Legal Process Data Disclosure — Signal

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What it is

Signal may share your data with governments or law enforcement if legally required, or to enforce its own rules, prevent fraud, or protect safety.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Signal can be compelled to hand over account metadata — including your phone number, registration date, and last connection time — to law enforcement, even though it cannot provide your message content due to encryption.

Cross-platform context

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

While Signal's encryption means it cannot share message content, it can share metadata (phone numbers, registration dates, last connection timestamps) in response to valid legal process — which can still reveal meaningful information about users.

View original clause language

To meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request. To enforce applicable Terms, including investigation of potential violations. To detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues. To protect against harm to the rights, property, or safety of Signal, our users, or the public as required or permitted by law.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision engages the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. §2703), which governs law enforcement access to stored electronic communications and subscriber records. ECPA (18 U.S.C. §2510) applies to real-time interception requests. FISA (50 U.S.C. §1801) and National Security Letters (18 U.S.C. §2709) may compel disclosure with gag orders. GDPR Art. 23 permits derogations for national security and law enforcement, but requires proportionality assessments. (2)

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Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC has authority to examine whether Signal's disclosure of data to third parties, including government actors, is consistent with its privacy representations.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Signal Privacy Policy

Entity

Signal

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 18, 2026

Last verified

April 18, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-003039

Document ID

CA-D-00305

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://signal.org/legal/

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

c987bd00ea1fa41c8839b08b6e171831f324f37a5caf9a73223693d82c3902da

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Signal | Document: Signal Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-003039
Captured: 2026-04-18 11:58:17 UTC | SHA-256: c987bd00ea1fa41c…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/signal/signal-privacy-policy/government-and-legal-process-data-disclosure/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

Low

Government and Legal Process Data Disclosure