How have forensic tools and law‑enforcement subpoenas been used to access My Eyes Only or Memories content in practice?
Executive summary
Forensic extraction tools from vendors such as Magnet AXIOM and Cellebrite have been reported to recover Snapchat “Memories” and sometimes My Eyes Only (MEO) material when that content exists in device storage or caches accessible to a physical or logical extraction [1] [2]. Snapchat’s public documentation insists MEO is encrypted and protected by a user‑chosen passcode that “not even us” can view without that passcode, and the sources provided do not document law‑enforcement subpoenas producing unlocked MEO content directly from Snapchat [3] [4].
1. Forensic vendors say device extraction can expose MEO if artifacts exist on the handset
Toolmakers and forensic practitioners report that when MEO content has been viewed, backed up locally, or left in app caches or device databases, commercial forensic suites can recover and decrypt images and opening frames of videos using device‑level extractions and specialized decoders — AXIOM announced MEO support tied to images acquired via GrayKey and to cached media, and Cellebrite’s UFED/Physical Analyzer advertised decoding Memories and MEO artifacts from devices [1] [2]. Binary forensic writeups and Android analyses note explicit database fields (for example an “is_private” flag) and Memories entries that investigators can target during an examination, which explains why vendor tools invested in MEO support [5].
2. The technical boundary: viewed/cached files and device keys matter
The practical success stories in forensic forums and product notes hinge on the presence of recoverable files or keys on the device: if a snap or memory was rendered to the device’s media cache or included in screenshots/viewing frames, those artifacts become subject to physical extraction tools [1]. These tools often rely on either advanced chip‑level extraction, jailbreaks, or exploits (GrayKey is explicitly mentioned in AXIOM notes) to access file stores and keys that are otherwise shielded by the app or OS [1].
3. Snapchat’s stated model creates a “can’t‑help‑if‑passcode‑unknown” posture
Snapchat’s public privacy guidance emphasizes that My Eyes Only content is encrypted and protected by a passcode chosen by the user, and that without that passcode the company cannot view items saved in MEO — an explicit statement that Snapchat will not be able to decrypt MEO content for law enforcement even if subpoenaed, per its product privacy pages and support documents [3] [4]. That corporate claim sets up a legal friction point: a subpoena to Snapchat may not yield decrypted MEO media if the company truly lacks the keys.
4. What the reporting does not show: subpoenas producing unlocked MEO data
Among the provided reporting there are no documented cases or vendor disclosures showing law‑enforcement subpoenas compelling Snapchat to hand over decrypted MEO content; the sources instead document technical recovery from devices or vendor claims about decoding capabilities when device artifacts are present [1] [2] [5]. Because Snapchat asserts it cannot decrypt without the passcode, the available evidence points toward forensic extractions of local artifacts — not provider‑side production of unlocked MEO media [3].
5. The practical takeaway and limits of inference
In practice, therefore, investigators have two realistic routes: extract cached or backed‑up Memories and MEO artifacts from a seized device using specialized tools (with success reports from AXIOM, Cellebrite and independent analyses when files/keys are present) or seek user cooperation or credentials that unlock the MEO passcode; the publicly available vendor and vendor‑adjacent reporting does not document provider compliance producing decrypted MEO content in response to legal process [1] [2] [3]. This leaves an evidentiary landscape where encryption and user passcodes — when properly implemented and not leaked to the device filesystem — can block provider and outsider access, while local caches or flawed implementations create the forensic openings that vendors advertise [1] [5] [4].