Will go daddy accept subpoena by email

1. The rule in plain language: don’t email a subpoena

GoDaddy’s official subpoena policy repeatedly instructs that requests for identity or account information “must fax, mail, or serve GoDaddy.com, LLC with a valid subpoena,” explicitly excluding ordinary email as an acceptable means of service for civil matters ^{[1] [5] [2]}. Multiple regional versions of the same policy (U.S., IE, UK, PH, IN) echo the same requirement, reflecting a global, corporate-level stance that formal physical or served process satisfies their legal and procedural checks ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}.

2. Why GoDaddy insists on formal service—privacy law and internal checks

The policy references federal privacy law constraints—most notably provisions of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and related statutes that limit production of email content—and reserves GoDaddy the right to request supporting materials such as the complaint tying an account to litigation before responding ^{[1] [5]}. Requiring fax/mail/service of process provides GoDaddy with a verifiable chain of custody and an opportunity to evaluate the legal sufficiency of the request and proportionality under privacy rules ^{[1] [10]}.

3. What “not by email” does not mean: administrative exceptions and secure electronic delivery

While GoDaddy says not to serve subpoenas by email, its support pages and third‑party guidance reveal nuances: ICANN-related non‑public registrant data (NPRD) requests have a formal email intake path (whoisrequests@godaddy.com) and a WHOIS Access Agreement process if legitimate interest is shown ^[3]. Additionally, guidance referenced by third‑party advisers notes GoDaddy “prefers service of legal process by fax” and suggests that, for production, GoDaddy may use secured electronic delivery methods like FTP or Dropbox links once legal process is properly served ^[4]. Those channels are about data delivery and access after formal service, not a substitute for serving a subpoena by email.

4. Criminal vs. civil lines and law‑enforcement pathways

GoDaddy’s policy differentiates criminal matters: criminal requests generally require representation by law enforcement and may follow different verification steps, though criminal investigators still must meet GoDaddy’s process requirements rather than rely on simple email ^{[1] [10]}. The company explicitly conditions some disclosures on whether a request “provides a sufficient legal basis” and may deny or require additional verification if the request would disproportionately impact data subjects ^[10].

5. Practical implications for litigants and counsel

Practically, anyone seeking identifying information from GoDaddy should not rely on sending a subpoena via email and should instead follow the policy’s instruction to fax, mail, or effectuate formal service to GoDaddy.com, LLC; counsel commonly pursue the registrar, the hosting ISP, or privacy services with follow‑on subpoenas after initial production ^{[1] [11]}. Legal commentators and boutique firms advising on domain subpoenas also stress that some materials—like actual email content—are protected by statutes such as the Stored Communications Act and may require court orders or law enforcement involvement to obtain, reinforcing why GoDaddy screens requests ^{[12] [11]}.

6. Alternative viewpoints and possible motives

GoDaddy’s posture serves two parallel agendas: compliance with privacy law and limiting spurious or informal demands that could expose it to liability; at the same time, a requirement for fax/mail/service may slow civil litigants and raise costs for smaller claimants—a consequence that benefits rigorous legal vetting but could be criticized as favoring resourceful parties. Independent legal blogs and firms reproduce GoDaddy’s guidance while emphasizing tactics—like obtaining ISP records or subpoenaing privacy services—that can work around masked registrant data, underscoring tension between privacy protections and discovery needs ^{[4] [11]}.