These Guidelines are a reference for law enforcement seeking TikTok user data
This document, last updated 6 October 2026, is TikTok’s reference for law enforcement officials who seek data about users of the TikTok platform from the TikTok entities it says are listed in Section 1 (together called TikTok). It points readers to a separate Law Enforcement FAQ for more information; that FAQ appears later in this same text.
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Last updated: 6 October 2026
These guidelines (“Guidelines”) are a reference for law enforcement officials seeking the data of users of the TikTok (the “Platform”) from any of the TikTok entities listed in Section 1 below (together “TikTok”).
Not stated here
The list of TikTok entities that Section 1 says follows is not present in the stored text, so which entity serves which users cannot be stated from this source.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception
Requests about TikTok Shop data are directed to separate TikTok Shop guidelines
If a request relates to TikTok Shop data, TikTok directs the requester to its separate TikTok Shop Law Enforcement & Regulatory Disclosure Guidelines rather than this document.
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If your request relates to TikTok Shop data, please refer to the [TikTok Shop Law Enforcement & Regulatory Disclosure Guidelines](https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/tools-and-guides/tiktok-shop-law-enforcement-and-regulatory-disclosure-guidelines).
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The TikTok Shop guidelines are separately linked and not supplied here; how TikTok Shop data requests are handled is unknown from this source.
Requests must go to the correct TikTok entity for the user’s location; the entity list is missing here
The first basic requirement is that a request be addressed to the correct TikTok entity, which depends on where the relevant user is located. The text says the mapping follows, and marks the entity with an asterisk, but no entity list or footnote appears in the stored text. TikTok warns that a request sent to the wrong entity may not be processed until that is corrected, which may cause delay.
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First, requests must be addressed to the correct TikTok entity*. This is based on the location of the relevant user as follows:
Please note that requests addressed to the incorrect TikTok entity may not be processed until this has been rectified, which may cause unnecessary delay.
Qualifications & exceptions
A request addressed to the incorrect entity may not be processed until rectified.
Not stated here
The entity-by-location list announced by the words “as follows” and the asterisk footnote are absent from the stored text; the correct entity for any given user cannot be determined from this source.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception
Requests about users located in the United States are referred to a separate U.S. version
For data of users located in the United States, these Guidelines point law enforcement to a separate U.S. version of the TikTok Law Enforcement Guidelines. This document therefore does not itself state the requirements for U.S.-located users.
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Note: For requests for data of users located in the United States, refer to the U.S. version of the [TikTok Law Enforcement Guidelines](http://usdsjv.tiktok.com/law-enforcement-guidelines).
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The U.S. version is separately linked and not supplied here; its requirements are unknown from this source.
Requests must be submitted through TikTok’s webform with PDF attachments
The second basic requirement is that requests be submitted through TikTok’s law enforcement request webform, with any supporting attachments (for example an official warrant, court order or other supporting documentation) in PDF format. Word format is not accepted.
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Second, requests must be submitted to our webform: [www.tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest](https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest) with any attachments (for example, official warrant, court order, or other documentation supporting the request) in PDF format (word format will not be accepted).
Qualifications & exceptions
Attachments must be PDF; Word format will not be accepted.
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The webform page itself is not supplied here; its fields and any further instructions are unknown.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception
Acknowledging receipt waives no objection, and requests must be in English or translated
A confirmation that TikTok received correspondence is for convenience only and does not waive any right of objection, including objections for lack of jurisdiction, invalid legal process or lack of proper service. All requests and supporting documents (orders, warrants, subpoenas or equivalents) must be provided in English or with a translation.
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Any confirmation of receipt of correspondence is for convenience only and, in doing so, TikTok does not waive any right of objection (including for lack of jurisdiction, invalid legal process or lack of proper service). All requests to TikTok and any supporting documents (including orders, warrants, and/or subpoenas or equivalent) must be provided in English or with a translation.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Every request must be signed, dated, on law enforcement letterhead and complete
Each request must be signed, dated and sent on law enforcement letterhead, and must include the information Section 3 lists: details of the requesting authority or court and officer, details of the relevant user account, the data requested with a date range, the legal basis, and whether user notification is permitted.
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Each request must be signed, dated, sent on law enforcement letterhead and include the following information:
Details of requesting law enforcement authority (or Court):
Details of relevant user account:
Legal basis for the request:
User notification: Please indicate whether user notification is permitted (see Section 4 below).
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Requests must identify the requesting authority or court and the officer, using an official email domain
The request must give the name and location of the requesting authority; for a court order it should name the court and the judge or magistrate and their location. It must also give the requesting officer’s name, badge or identification number, an email address from an official email domain, and a phone number including any direct-dial extension.
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Details of requesting law enforcement authority (or Court):
Requesting Authority (or Court): The name and location of the relevant authority. In the case of a Court order, the request should indicate the location and name of the relevant Court and judge / magistrate.
Requesting officer: The requesting officer’s name, badge / identification number, email address (this must be from an official email domain) and phone number (including any direct dial extension).
Qualifications & exceptions
The officer’s email address must be from an official email domain.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Requests must identify the account by a TikTok username or an approved identifier
When requesting data about a specific user, the requester must provide a specific TikTok username or one of TikTok’s approved account identifiers: TikTok User ID, TikTok username (account URL or screenshot accepted), phone number, email address, or video ID (video URL or screenshot accepted). TikTok also asks for a screenshot of the account to help it identify the correct account more quickly; that screenshot is requested, not stated as mandatory.
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Details of relevant user account:
TikTok username: When requesting data regarding a specific user of the Platform, you must provide a specific TikTok username or an approved account identifier associated with the relevant account. We also request that a screenshot of the relevant account be provided (to help us to identify the correct account more quickly). The following are TikTok approved identifiers:
TikTok User ID
TikTok username (account URL or screenshot accepted)
Phone number
Email address
Video ID (video URL or screenshot accepted)
Qualifications & exceptions
A screenshot of the relevant account is requested to speed identification.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Requests must cite the authorising legal process and describe the offence under investigation
The request should cite the legal process that authorises law enforcement to request and collect information for preventing, detecting or investigating criminal offences, by reference to the relevant article or section of an Act, Statute or Code. Separately it should state the type of offence under investigation (again citing the relevant provision), the circumstances of the offence, and how it is connected to the TikTok platform. No particular law is named in this source.
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Legal basis for the request:
Relevant legal process: The request should clearly specify the legal process (i.e. citing the relevant article or section of an Act / Statute / Code), which authorizes law enforcement to request and collect information for the purposes of prevention, detection or investigation of criminal offences.
Context and Offence(s) under investigation: The request should separately indicate the type of offence(s) under investigation (citing the relevant article or section of Act / Statute / Code), the circumstances of the offence and in what way it is connected to the Platform.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
The request must say whether user notification is permitted; TikTok relies on that indication
Each request must indicate whether notifying the user is permitted, per Section 4. TikTok says it will rely on the requesting law enforcement authority to clearly indicate that its request meets the criteria set out in these Guidelines.
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User notification: Please indicate whether user notification is permitted (see Section 4 below).
TikTok will rely on the requesting law enforcement authority to clearly indicate that their request has met with the criteria set out in these Law Enforcement Guidelines.
Emergency requests go through the webform from a sworn official on an official email domain
Emergency requests must be submitted through TikTok’s law enforcement web form, must be made by a sworn law enforcement official, and, if sent by email, must come from an official law enforcement email domain. People who are not law enforcement and know of an emergency are told to contact local law enforcement directly and immediately rather than TikTok.
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To request this data, you must submit your request through our web form: [www.tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest](https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/lawenforcementrequest) All emergency requests must be made by a sworn law enforcement official, and come from an official law enforcement email domain (if sent via email). Non-law enforcement personnel aware of an emergency situation should immediately and directly contact local law enforcement officials.
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The web form page is not supplied here; its fields and instructions are unknown.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Cross-border requests may need the MLAT process or letters rogatory
A law enforcement authority may need to seek legal assistance through designated government authorities under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) framework, or by letters rogatory. TikTok gives as an example the case where the requesting authority is in a different country from the TikTok entity that provides the service to the user whose data is sought, that entity being determined under Section 1 by the user’s location. The FAQ later in this text says more about MLAT. The text says this “may be necessary”; it does not state when MLAT is mandatory.
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It may be necessary for a law enforcement authority to submit a request for legal assistance to designated government authorities under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (“MLAT”) framework, or by letters rogatory. For instance, this may arise in circumstances where the requesting law enforcement authority is located in a different country to the TikTok entity that provides the service to the relevant user whose data is requested (refer to Section 1 above). See our Law Enforcement FAQs for more information in relation to MLAT.
First, requests must be addressed to the correct TikTok entity*. This is based on the location of the relevant user as follows:
Qualifications & exceptions
Stated as a possibility (“may be necessary”), illustrated by the cross-border example.
Not stated here
The Section 1 entity-by-location list is absent from the stored text, so which entity serves a given user, and therefore when a request is cross-border, cannot be determined from this source.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception
Requesters must vouch that their information is accurate and the disclosure necessary and proportionate
When submitting a request, law enforcement officials are required to ensure that the information they provide is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge and good-faith belief, and that the disclosure or other action requested is necessary and proportionate for preventing, detecting or investigating offences, or for preventing an emergency.
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In submitting a request, law enforcement officials are required to ensure that any information provided is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge and good faith belief, and that the disclosure (or other action) requested is necessary and proportionate for the purposes of the prevention, detection or investigation of offences, or to prevent an emergency.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Restriction or exception
Law enforcement must handle disclosed data under applicable laws, including data protection law
Once TikTok has disclosed data, the receiving law enforcement authority is required to handle it in accordance with applicable laws, including relevant data protection laws. The source does not name those laws.
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Once received by law enforcement, the law enforcement authority is required to handle such data in accordance with applicable laws, including relevant data protection laws.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Company practice
TikTok may change these Guidelines; updates appear on its website
TikTok may update these Guidelines from time to time. It says changes may be informed by factors including legal or human rights developments and operational or product changes to the platform, and that all relevant updates will be reflected on the TikTok website. No notice period or other notification method is stated.
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TikTok may update these Guidelines from time to time, and such changes may be informed by a range of factors, including legal or human rights developments, operational and/or product changes to the Platform. All relevant updates will be reflected on the TikTok website.
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No notice period or notification method beyond posting on the website is stated.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Context
The FAQ is to be read together with the Guidelines
TikTok’s Law Enforcement FAQ states that it should be read together with the Law Enforcement Guidelines. In this stored text the FAQ follows the Guidelines on the same page, and the link in the FAQ points to that same page.
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These FAQS should be read together with TikTok’s [Law Enforcement Guidelines](https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/tools-and-guides/tiktok-law-enforcement-guidelines).
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The linked address is this same page; any other version of the Guidelines is not supplied here.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Context
What a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) is
TikTok describes an MLAT as a treaty between two or more countries defining how each will assist in legal matters such as criminal investigations; through it, one country’s government can seek another government’s help in obtaining information from companies located in that other country.
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An MLAT is a treaty between two or more countries that defines how each will assist in legal matters, such as in criminal investigations. Through an MLAT, the government of one country can seek assistance from the government of another country in obtaining information from companies located in the other country.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
MLAT may be needed when the requester and the serving TikTok entity are in different countries
The FAQ says MLAT may be necessary where the requesting law enforcement authority is in a different country from the TikTok entity that provides the service to the relevant user, which Section 1 ties to the user’s location. Authorities unsure whether MLAT applies can contact TikTok, which says it will endeavour to tell them whether MLAT is appropriate and to direct them to the designated central authority for MLAT purposes in the appropriate country.
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It may be necessary in circumstances where the requesting law enforcement authority is located in a different country to the TikTok entity that provides the service to the relevant user (see Section 1 of our Law Enforcement Guidelines). If law enforcement are unclear as to whether they should rely on MLAT, they can contact TikTok. On receipt of such a request, TikTok will endeavour to communicate to the law enforcement authority whether MLAT is appropriate and to direct them to the designated “central authority” for MLAT purposes in the appropriate country.
First, requests must be addressed to the correct TikTok entity*. This is based on the location of the relevant user as follows:
Qualifications & exceptions
TikTok’s guidance on MLAT is an endeavour, not a guarantee.
Not stated here
The Section 1 entity-by-location list is absent from the stored text, so which entity serves a given user cannot be determined from this source.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Procedure
Non-law-enforcement requests go to content reporting or intellectual property channels, not this process
Requests that are not from law enforcement are directed elsewhere: content that may breach TikTok’s Community Guidelines is reported through TikTok’s support pages, and alleged copyright or trademark infringement is reported under TikTok’s Intellectual Property Policy through a Copyright Infringement Report or a Trademark Infringement Report.
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Non-law enforcement requests should be directed as follows:
Report Content: Details of how to report various types of content that may be in breach of TikTok’s Community Guidelines are available [here](https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?category=web_using_tiktok).
Report IP infringement: Reports of alleged copyright or trademark infringement should be made in accordance with TikTok’s [Intellectual Property Policy](https://www.tiktok.com/legal/copyright-policy) and can be filed as a [Copyright Infringement Report](https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/Copyright) or as a [Trademark Infringement Report](https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/Trademark).
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The Community Guidelines, support page, Intellectual Property Policy and the two report forms are separately linked and not supplied here; their contents and requirements are unknown from this source.
Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Company practice
Response times vary; flag time-sensitive requests, and non-compliant requests take longer
TikTok’s law enforcement response team says it tries to answer all requests in a timely manner, but response times vary with caseload and the complexity of a request. A time-sensitive request should say so, with reasons, in the request itself. Longer response times can be expected where a request does not meet the requirements in the Guidelines and the FAQ. No fixed response time is stated.
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TikTok’s dedicated law enforcement response team endeavours to respond to all requests in a timely manner but response times can vary in particular due to the caseload volume at a given time and the complexity of a request. If a particular request is time-sensitive, we would ask the requesting law enforcement officer to note this in the request (explaining the reasons). Longer response times can be expected where the request does not meet the requirements set out in our [Law Enforcement Guidelines](https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/tools-and-guides/tiktok-law-enforcement-guidelines) and these Law Enforcement FAQS.
Qualifications & exceptions
Longer response times can be expected for requests that do not meet the stated requirements.
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No response-time commitment or deadline is given in this source.
The linked Guidelines address is this same page; any other version of the Guidelines is not supplied here.