How Connections (Global Outliers Inc., India) responds to legal requests for user data. India is our home jurisdiction; requests from outside India are handled via MLAT. We comply with valid legal process and protect user privacy where the law allows.
Law-enforcement officers and government agencies should submit data requests to:
"LE Data Request — <case number>"
Submission is in writing only. We do not accept telephone or in-person requests for data disclosure (except for emergency circumstances — see below).
Connections is operated by Global Outliers Inc. (India). As an Indian intermediary, we have designated a Nodal Contact Person for 24×7 coordination with Indian law-enforcement agencies under Rule 3(2) of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021:
Chat messages on Connections are end-to-end encrypted using the Signal Protocol (X3DH + Double Ratchet). We do not have the ability to decrypt message content. Even if compelled by a search warrant, we cannot produce plaintext — we can only provide encrypted ciphertext (which is useless without the user's device-resident keys). This is a deliberate engineering choice and a fundamental property of the protocol.
Requests from Indian law-enforcement and government agencies are handled as domestic requests under Indian law:
| Type | Statutory basis | Data we will produce |
|---|---|---|
| Written notice for production of records | CrPC § 91 / BNSS, 2023 § 94 | Subscriber information and the specific records identified in the notice, to the extent we hold them. |
| Interception / monitoring / decryption order | IT Act, 2000 § 69 (+ 2009 Rules) | We assist to the extent legally compelled. Message content is end-to-end encrypted — we cannot decrypt it (see note above). |
| Content-blocking direction | IT Act, 2000 § 69A | We disable access to the specified content as directed. |
| Emergency / risk-to-life request | IT Rules, 2021 — Rule 3(2)(j) | Subscriber and relevant records on a request citing imminent risk to life, pending formal process. |
Indian requests should be on official letterhead, signed by an
officer of the rank prescribed by law, sent from a verifiable gov.in / nic.in
address, and addressed to the Nodal Officer above.
Because the operating entity is in India, requests from foreign authorities (including US authorities) must be routed through the applicable MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) / Letters Rogatory channel. Where a US instrument applies, we recognise the following process:
| Type | Statutory basis | Data we will produce |
|---|---|---|
| Subpoena (grand jury, administrative, court) | 18 USC § 2703(c)(2) | Basic subscriber info: name, email, phone, account creation date, last-login timestamp |
| Court order | 18 USC § 2703(d) | Subscriber info + transactional records (login history, IP addresses, device records) |
| Search warrant | 4th Amendment, 18 USC § 2703(a) | All of the above + content metadata (chat list, photos, profile data). Message content NOT available — see E2E note above. |
| Emergency Disclosure Request (EDR) | 18 USC § 2702(b)(8) | Subscriber info + relevant records, when there is imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. Officer affidavit required. |
| Preservation letter | 18 USC § 2703(f) | Data is preserved (frozen, not disclosed) for 90 days, extendable. Disclosure requires a follow-up subpoena, court order, or warrant. |
Connections publishes an annual transparency report summarising the volume and outcomes of law-enforcement requests. The report includes:
The current report is published at connections.dating-universe.com/transparency. For prior periods, email connections@dating-universe.com with subject "Transparency Report Request".
Submitting a knowingly false EDR (claiming exigent circumstances that do not exist) may constitute perjury. We document EDRs and may request an officer affidavit. We retain records of all law-enforcement requests for a minimum of 7 years for legal compliance purposes.