Skip to content 
“Subpoena Forensics” is a developing and unique service area within Carney Forensics that leverages its skills as certified, digital forensic examiners led by a licensed attorney in federal and state court for twenty years.
Definition and Purpose
- Service Overview: “Subpoena Forensics” is a dedicated practice area designed to obtain digital evidence from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and cell phone service providers.
- Methodology: The practice involves:
- Ghostwriting subpoenas, consent authorizations, and other documents for trial lawyers.
- Developing templates with ISP-specific language to request material evidence once a case is filed in court.
- Using registered agents in civil cases to file subpoenas, which helps avoid confusing the ISP’s Subpoena Compliance department (which is typically focused on law enforcement search warrants).
- Utilizing several digital forensic tools to quickly and effectively parse and recover digital forensic artifacts from the subpoena returns received from ISPs like Google, Apple, Snap, and Meta.
Application and Targets
- ISP Evidence Targets: The practice primarily targets evidence from ISPs including: Google, Apple, Snap, Meta, Dropbox, Microsoft, Yahoo, Comcast, Century Link, and VPNs.
- More Googe Evidence Targets: The practice has been successfully used with Google subpoenas for Gmail, Google Business Profile, and Google Blogger to obtain responsive evidence in defamation and harassment cases.
- Telco Evidence Targets: The practice has been successfully used with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile subpoenas to obtain responsive Call Detail Records, SMS Logs, and 4G LTE and 5G cell tower data evidence.
Limitations and Challenges
- The practice works successfully with more than half of the ISPs, but works well with the big three cell phone service providers (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile).
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp) and Microsoft/MSN email are noted as “difficult to subpoena” in the U.S. due to their many objections.
