Subpoenas and Gag Orders

Discussions center on whether tech companies like OpenAI must comply with government subpoenas, court orders, or National Security Letters for user data, often under gag orders preventing disclosure of such requests.

📉 Falling 0.4x Legal
3,017
Comments
19
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#8203
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2008
2
2009
12
2010
39
2011
55
2012
90
2013
383
2014
165
2015
144
2016
283
2017
192
2018
233
2019
183
2020
151
2021
230
2022
222
2023
267
2024
162
2025
192
2026
12

Keywords

BBC MS FB US OP BETTER wikipedia.org NJ NSL JNJ court gag government order orders contempt national security court order compelled speech

Sample Comments

techslave Jul 13, 2019 View on HN

of course they wouldn’t, voluntarily. and you shouldn’t want them to. under subpoena however, they would have to.

RobRivera Sep 10, 2024 View on HN

What law mandates forced compliance outside subpoenas?

trotsky Jun 5, 2012 View on HN

In the US this is done with National Security Letters and Court Orders, both of which usually include gag orders - so no.

shaka881 Feb 13, 2012 View on HN

I don't think it is legally possible. I believe these requests are usually accompanied by gag orders.

noofen May 21, 2021 View on HN

Unless they're under a legal gag-order?

freejazz Jan 31, 2024 View on HN

They get subpoenaed if they don't agree

gargarplex Apr 12, 2015 View on HN

It belies the fact that OP prompted the lawyers to subpoena him.

msgodel Jul 8, 2025 View on HN

Absolutely not. If they get subpoenaed (as is the case here) they have no choice but to share it.

tartuffe78 Apr 5, 2017 View on HN

Perhaps a secret court order forbids them from doing that.

ComputerGuru Jan 26, 2020 View on HN

I don’t know about employment contracts, but Google around for info about National Security Letters and gag orders. It’s certainly a thing, at least when the other party is the federal government.