What Occurs When Patreon Receives a Request for Info on a Creator (or Patron)?

Any time you present a web site along with your private contact and monetary data, there’s a specific amount of belief concerned. Patreon understands this, and we take our accountability to maintain each creator and patron data secure and safe very significantly.

Patreon’s enterprise mannequin is to get creators paid straight from followers. We’re not within the information-collecting-and-selling enterprise in the identical manner that a lot of the web is. We don’t use your data to focus on you and your patrons with adverts, and we don’t promote your data to different firms that accomplish that, both.

Appropriately, our coverage round creator and patron data is to gather solely what’s wanted, be clear about who has entry to it, and to maintain it as secure and safe as doable.

To study extra about what knowledge Patreon collects (and why we gather it) take a look at our Privateness Middle.

Whether or not it’s Patreon’s assist of two-factor authentication, or the efforts of our fraud prevention crew, we work arduous to maintain your data underneath strict lock and key.

One clear instance of that is our coverage on responding to requests from third events to your account and private data. To place it merely, until crucial to forestall demise or bodily hurt, we don’t give out any data on our creators or patrons until that data is requested:

• by a correct authorized authority
• via the suitable authorized course of

What Is a Request for Info?

A request for data is strictly what it appears like — somebody reaches out to Patreon asking for details about a creator or patron.

These requests are issued for any variety of causes, from people simply inquisitive about a creator’s authorized title (that’s a particular no, by the way in which; we don’t give that out) to federal brokers serving Patreon with grand jury subpoenas for the logs on a creator account implicated in a world conspiracy (okay, that’s a sure, however, to this point, that one hasn’t really occurred).

Patreon applies the identical method to all requests for account data, no matter who brings them. Save for emergency conditions, until the knowledge is from an official authorized authority and the request is served by way of authorized course of, we don’t give your data to anybody asking for it.

What Are Patreon’s Necessities for These Requests?

Authorized authorities requesting data from Patreon a few creator (or their patrons) are required to comply with sure authorized processes for the kind of request being introduced (i.e. a world legislation enforcement agent should carry a request via a mutual authorized help treaty). That manner, we will affirm that they’re who they are saying they’re, and that they possess the authorized authority to make the knowledge request.

We don’t give out data to anybody until the acquired requests are written, signed, and issued underneath an applicable legislation. Additionally, authorized authorities should sufficiently establish the person for whom the knowledge is being requested. Requests might be despatched to Patreon at authorized@patreon.com. Our authorized crew critiques every request to ensure they’re from a legit supply, and that they comply with authorized process.

A method that we vet these requests is by ensuring authorized authorities aren’t requesting extra data than is affordable. Once we obtain an excessively broad request, we require the requester to slim its scope in compliance with authorized requirements.

These necessities will not be put in place to make this data tougher to acquire. We have now these checks to guard your data from falling into the fingers of dangerous actors. We depend on our insurance policies and procedures to be sure that we all know who we’re coping with on the opposite finish of those requests.

Except a requester of knowledge has the authorized authority to carry their request, and does so via an official authorized course of, we kindly decline the request (and ship them a hyperlink to this weblog submit).

Within the occasion of a request for data, Patreon might let the creator or patron know that their data has been legally requested. We then question the knowledge internally and compile solely the knowledge particularly requested to be encrypted and despatched to the requester. We don’t share any data that was not particularly requested.

Right here Are a Couple Examples of Requests for Info That Patreon Wouldn’t Honor

1. A patron asks us to provide them your house deal with

Let’s say you’re a potter who makes ceramic mugs of American presidents.Your birthday is arising in a pair weeks. One in every of your patrons loves your work a lot that they made you a particular “Babe”-raham Lincoln mug, which options President Lincoln as a child in a diaper (however he nonetheless has that superior beard and top-hat).

So, with one of the best of intentions, this grateful patron asks us for your own home deal with, to allow them to ship you the birthday present.

Will we give it to them? No. Regardless that the patron means properly, we’d nonetheless deny the request and politely inform them to ask you for the deal with themselves.

2. An organization requests to buy your knowledge

Let’s say you’re a medieval moat fanatic. You suppose dwelling safety peaked within the Center Ages, and so that you make YouTube tutorials educating folks how one can construct moats (and drawbridges) round their properties. And your patrons love you for it.

Somebody at an unique pet firm noticed one of many moat movies you made. Since they promote animals that may do properly in moats, like piranhas and alligators, they ask us to buy knowledge in your patrons, to allow them to higher market to them.

Will we give it to them? Not an opportunity.

We don’t promote your knowledge to anybody. Interval.

3. A legislation enforcement officer requests the contents of messages despatched on Patreon

Let’s say you’re a creator who is thought for yarn graffiti. A legislation enforcement officer brings a subpoena for an ongoing case towards you. They think you might have been conspiring with different creators, corresponding solely on Patreon, to knit a large sweater over the Statue of Liberty! They carry a subpoena requesting the contents of all your digital correspondence on Patreon.

Will we give it to them? Nope. Even correctly issued subpoenas have their limits and the contents of messages on Patreon requires a search warrant issued on possible trigger.

So What’s the Most important Takeaway Right here?

Patreon solely shares creator or patron data with correct authorized authorities, so long as they comply with the suitable authorized course of.

You’ll be able to all the time entry your personal data in our privateness heart, and until legally prohibited, we let when your data is being requested.

Are you a legislation enforcement company trying to carry a request for data? Then take a look at our assist heart article on how one can do exactly that.