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Warrant Canary

Last Updated: February 1, 2026

Canary Status: ACTIVE

This canary was last updated on February 1, 2026 and remains valid.

What is a Warrant Canary?

A warrant canary is a method by which a service provider can inform users that they have NOT received certain types of legal requests. Due to gag orders that often accompany government requests, we cannot directly tell you if we've received such requests. However, we can regularly publish a statement saying we have NOT received them—and stop publishing that statement if circumstances change.

Current Statement

As of February 1, 2026, RacterVault, LLC has NOT received:

  • Any National Security Letters (NSLs)
  • Any FISA court orders (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act)
  • Any gag orders preventing disclosure of legal requests
  • Any requests to install surveillance equipment or backdoors
  • Any requests to weaken encryption or security measures
  • Any warrants or subpoenas with gag orders attached

Signed: Benjamin Knauss, CEO, RacterVault, LLC
Date: February 1, 2026
Next Update: March 1, 2026

Cryptographic Verification

This warrant canary is cryptographically signed with our PGP key to prevent tampering. You can verify the signature using our public key. 

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA512

Warrant Canary for RacterVault, LLC
Last Updated: February 1, 2026

As of this date, RacterVault, LLC has NOT received:
- Any National Security Letters
- Any FISA court orders
- Any gag orders
- Any requests to install surveillance equipment
- Any requests to weaken encryption
- Any warrants with gag orders

Signed: Benjamin Knauss, CEO
Date: 2026-02-01

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

iQIzBAEBCgAdFiEE... [signature truncated for display]
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Download full signed canary (.asc) | Download our PGP public key

Update Schedule

We update this warrant canary on the first day of each month. If this canary is not updated by the 5th of the month, you should assume we have received a request we cannot disclose.

What We CAN Disclose

We publish an annual transparency report detailing:

  • • Number of law enforcement requests received
  • • Number of accounts affected
  • • Types of requests (subpoena, court order, warrant)
  • • Jurisdictions making requests
  • • Number of requests we challenged or rejected

View our latest transparency report

Important Context

Zero-Knowledge Architecture

Even if we receive a legal request for user data, we can only provide:

  • • Encrypted files (useless without user's encryption keys)
  • • Encrypted metadata (filenames, folder structure)
  • • Account information (email, registration date)
  • • Payment information (if not using cryptocurrency)
  • • Access logs (IP addresses, timestamps)

We CANNOT provide:

  • • Plaintext files (we don't have access)
  • • Encryption keys (stored only on user devices)
  • • Master passwords (never sent to our servers)
  • • Decrypted metadata (we can't decrypt it)

Icelandic Jurisdiction

RacterVault is incorporated in Iceland and our servers are located in Iceland. We are subject to Icelandic law, which provides strong privacy protections:

  • • Not part of 5/9/14-Eyes surveillance alliances
  • • Strong data protection laws (GDPR + Icelandic DPA)
  • • Judicial oversight required for data requests
  • • No blanket surveillance programs

Historical Canaries

Previous warrant canaries are archived for transparency:

What to Do If the Canary Dies

If this warrant canary is not updated on schedule, or if any of the above statements are removed:

  1. Don't panic. It may be a technical issue or oversight.
  2. Check our social media for announcements.
  3. Wait 7 days for clarification.
  4. If no update after 7 days, assume we've received a gag order.
  5. Remember: We still cannot access your encrypted files.
  6. Consider: Exporting your data if you're concerned.

Contact

Questions about this warrant canary?

Why This Matters

Warrant canaries provide transparency in an environment where direct disclosure is often prohibited. While we cannot tell you if we've received certain requests, we can tell you when we haven't—and stop telling you if that changes. Combined with our zero-knowledge architecture, this ensures you're always informed about the security of your data.