As of September 2013, Verizon Communications, Inc. (“Verizon”) will retain text messages for 180 days after they are sent or received. In accordance with the Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.
C. § 2701 et seq. (“SCA”), text messages are considered “communications” for purposes of the SCA. As such, Verizon must preserve these messages for a period of at least 180 days after they are sent or received, or until they are lawfully destroyed.
This 180-day retention period applies to both text messages sent or received on Verizon’s own network, as well as messages sent or received through a third-party service. This means that if you send or receive a text message through a service like WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, or iMessage, Verizon will retain that message for at least 180 days.
Verizon will also preserve text messages for a period of at least six months after they are sent or received if the message is sent or received in connection with an investigation or proceeding under the SCA. This means that if you send or receive a text message in connection with a subpoena, Verizon will keep that message for at least six months after the subpoena was issued.
If you believe that your text message may have been preserved by Verizon pursuant to the SCA, you should contact the company’s customer service department. Verizon will not disclose the contents of any preserved text messages to you, however, the company will provide you with information about the subpoena and the date that the text message was sent or received.
