Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
EvilChimpy
Newbie

Just checking the validity of the following letter/statement from Verizon I obtained from a source regarding subpoena-ing texts and the days of storage of text messaging:

 

Message Content or ANY OTHER inquiry is not available to the subscriber under any circumstances except under subpoena.

A subpoena, court order or search warrant is required for inquiries that come from third parties. All third party inquiries regarding customer information or records should be referred to:

Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless

Attn: Custodian of Records

180 Washington Valley Road

Bedminster, New Jersey 07921

It is the policy of Verizon Wireless to retain text message content for five days while the message delivery is attempted. If the message is not delivered within five days, the message content is deleted from our server and cannot be retrieved. If the message is successfully delivered, its content is held in our server for ten days. It is then deleted and cannot be retrieved subpoena, court order or search warrant is required for inquiries that come from third parties. All third party inquiries regarding customer information or records should be referred to:

Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless

Attn: Custodian of Records

180 Washington Valley Road

Bedminster, New Jersey 07921

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
Lee-Lee
Contributor - Level 3

Yes this information is correct regarding text subpoenas. Hope this helps!

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
andkarn
Newbie

I would like a representative to clarify, once and for all, the truth about this matter. If the texts are only stored for ten days max, then how do you explain this news story:

http://news.cnet.com/Police-Blotter-Verizon-forced-to-turn-over-text-messages/2100-1030_3-6221503.ht...

 

text messages were recovered in full detail MONTHS after they were sent.

 

so, is there a special circumstance that leads some phones' texts to be stored for long amounts of time?

 

How long are they really stored?

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
sadie85
Contributor - Level 3

That's ATT not Verizon, why not pose the question to ATT reps?

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
andkarn
Newbie

thanks for pointing this out. I edited the link, replacing it with a similar Verizon story

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
nmchileman
Master - Level 3

Nothing is ever really deleted. If you know anything about harddrives you know that when you delete something from a computer or server it doesn't really get deleted. The file space just gets marked that it's okay to write over it. Even after a file has been written over many times it's still possible to retrieve some of that data.

 

However, the article you posted says:

Verizon complied. It turned over three sets of documents: information about the account holder linked to that phone number, a list of the complete contents of the text messages sent or received by cellular telephone number (301) 325-XXXX between June 6 and October 31, 2007, and a log of whom Jackson sent messages to from her Verizon e-mail address. Note that Verizon did not keep copies of the actual contents of her e-mail messages.

 

Hey, look at that..... not the actual content of the message.

 

First you post an article about AT&T...then you post an article that even says VZW doesn't keep the content of the messages. Reading comprehension FTW!!

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
andkarn
Newbie

actually sir it is you appear to be wrong. do you not understand the distinction between "text messages" and "email"?

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
nmchileman
Master - Level 3

Do you understand that either way the content of messages is not kept for longer than the period specified? Regardless of whether it's an email or text message.

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
andkarn
Newbie

No, I don't.  That's why I asked for an official response, so I can get a final answer on this rather important matter. Sorry if I offended you in my post. I think that verizon customers have a right to know.

The article I posted makes it abundantly clear that text messages were indeed accessed in their entirety as evidenced by the fact that they were reviewed by a magistrate for client-attorney sensitive material.

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Re: Rep Please Verify Validity of Text Subpoenas
nmchileman
Master - Level 3
For an official response I shall refer you to the second post in this thread. An official Verizon Wireless employee confirmed that the details in the original post are correct. Where's the confusion?
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