Guidelines for law enforcement seeking customer data
(outside of North America)
Last updated: December 4, 2014
Like all service providers, Adobe is legally required to turn over customer data that it hosts when it receives valid legal process from a law enforcement authority with jurisdiction. These guidelines apply to all customer data hosted by Adobe for its users who reside outside of North America, whether it relates to software purchases or installation, or whether it relates to customer data or information hosted by one of Adobe's many online services. If you are a law enforcement agency seeking access to information regarding Adobe users who reside in North America, please follow the process you will find here.
Valid legal process is required before disclosure
For all Adobe customers outside of North America, disclosure is governed by Irish law, as well as by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Notice to users
It is Adobe policy to give notice to our customers whenever someone seeks access to their information unless we are legally prohibited from doing so.
Data retention and preservation requests
The length of time Adobe keeps different types of customer data varies depending upon the nature of the service at issue. If you are a law enforcement agent with questions about the types of data that may be available for a particular Adobe service, contact us using the information below.
Emergency requests
If law enforcement provides Adobe with information that gives us a reasonable good faith belief that there is a risk of imminent harm (i.e., death or serious physical injury) to a person, and that we have information in our possession that may avert that harm, we may choose to disclose the information we have to protect human life.
Preventing child exploitation
We report any images that appear to involve child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) or to the Irish national police (An Garda Síochána), as applicable. If you are a law enforcement agent reporting a child exploitation or child safety matter, please let us know by following the procedure for reporting an imminent harm matter (outlined above) so that we can address the matter as quickly as possible.
Please provide specific information
We cannot comply with overly-vague requests. At a minimum, we typically need the Adobe ID of the customer whose data you seek, the name of the service or services at issue, and a specific statement of the type of information sought.
Cost reimbursement
We may be entitled to recover costs associated with responding to requests for information. Fees apply on a “per Adobe ID” or per account basis. If your request is unusually broad or burdensome, additional fees may apply. It is our policy to waive fees in matters involving child exploitation or imminent harm.
Civil subpoenas
It is Adobe’s policy to give our customers notice of any civil subpoena seeking access to their information and fifteen (15) days to move to quash such a subpoena before we respond to it — regardless of the subpoena’s stated return date. If the request appears to violate a customer’s free or anonymous speech rights, Adobe may, in its discretion, move to quash the subpoena on our customer’s behalf.
Service of legal process
All law enforcement requests seeking data regarding Adobe customers outside of North America are administered by Adobe Ireland and governed by Irish law. Irish law enforcement may serve legal process on Adobe Ireland directly at the address below:
Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited
Attn: Law Enforcement Requests
4-6 Riverwalk, City West Business Campus
Saggart, Dublin 24, Ireland
Civil subpoenas require personal service and will not be accepted via fax.
Contact information
Adobe Inc.
Attn: Law Enforcement Requests
601 Townsend StreetSan Francisco, CA 94103
Adobe's U.S. Law Enforcement Response Hotline: 415-832-7614
U.S. Law Enforcement Response Fax Line: 415-723-7869
Requests from law enforcement agencies outside of Ireland
Where a law enforcement request relates solely to fraudulent use of a credit card to purchase goods or services on Adobe.com, Adobe may voluntarily and in its sole discretion, disclose basic purchase and delivery data in response to legal process that is valid in the jurisdiction where the purchase was made. All such requests must be made to Adobe Ireland using the contact information above and accompanied by an English language translation.
For all other requests, law enforcement authorities outside of Ireland seeking data from Adobe Ireland must make a formal legal assistance request to the Irish Department of Justice, using the contact information below.
Central Authority of Mutual Assistance
Department of Justice and Equality
51 St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2, Ireland
Fax: +353-1-408-6117
Email: mutual@justice.ie
An English or Irish language translation of any request must be provided.