Liberty Safe, Access Codes, and the FBI: The Facts
In August 2023, Liberty Safe was given a search warrant. Liberty did not provide the customer service code without a warrant. Liberty responded to the warrant that was presented to them. Since then, Liberty Safe has refined its policies about how we handle these codes and how we respond to compulsory demands for information.
Questions and Answers:
Did Liberty Safe give the FBI a backdoor code to open a safe without a warrant?
No, Liberty Safe was given a search warrant and responded to that. Liberty Safe did not give the FBI a code to open a safe without a warrant.
What is Liberty Safe’s policy for FBI search warrants?
Liberty Safe will only release customer information to any law enforcement agencies if all of the following conditions are met:
- A warrant, subpoena, national security letter, court order or equivalent (“compulsory process”) must be provided that is specifically issued to Liberty Safe.
- For requests for access codes or combinations, the compulsory process must specifically require that Liberty Safe release the combination or access code for a safe identified by its serial number.
- If these first two conditions are met, the requested customer information must already exist within our system at the time of the request. If a customer has opted out of our retention of this information, we will be unable to comply with the compulsory process.
In addition to providing information about how customers can change the code themselves, Liberty Safe has a process in place for customers to request the deletion of their code from our records. This process can be accessed at https://www.libertysafe.com/pages/combination-removal.
Except where prohibited by law, Liberty Safe will notify customers of any request from a government or law enforcement agency for customer information in advance of our providing it, giving our customers an opportunity to challenge the compulsory process.
In addition to these protections, if Liberty Safe determines that the compulsory process is deficient, Liberty Safe will object, challenge, or reject the request.
The details of the updated policies are available at https://www.libertysafe.com/pages/government-and-law-enforcement-customer-information-policy.
