This policy covers the USIPS network and this website. The retention schedule below is the load-bearing element: it states both what USIPS can produce and what it cannot, because what is not retained cannot be produced by anyone, about anyone, through us.
Retention schedule
| Category | Contents | Retention | Deletion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flow-level telemetry | Source and destination addresses, ports, protocol, byte and packet counts, timestamps, interface; no payloads | Up to 30 days | Automatic, rolling |
| Aggregate rollups | Per-prefix and per-interface traffic totals derived from flow data; no complete flow tuples | Up to 1 year | Automatic, rolling |
| Anonymous counters | Interface and service totals containing no addresses | Indefinite | n/a |
| Abuse and legal correspondence | Reports received, dispositions issued, enforcement records | Retained as organizational records | Per record schedule |
USIPS cannot identify an individual end user of a downstream network from an IP address and a timestamp. Flow records, while they exist, attribute traffic to an interconnection or a downstream network, not to a person. After 30 days, that attribution is gone too.
What is never collected
- Packet payloads or application content
- Browsing histories, DNS query logs, or any per-user activity records of end users
- Directories of downstream networks' subscribers
Legal hold
A litigation hold or a preservation request under 18 U.S.C. ยง 2703(f) suspends the retention schedule for the specific records it identifies. Held records are segregated, access-restricted, and deleted when the hold lapses. A hold does not create records that do not exist, and does not extend collection going forward.
Data subject requests
Requests under state comprehensive privacy laws are taken at privacy@usips.net. Note the practical scope: for network traffic, USIPS holds no records that identify an individual, so most requests resolve to a written statement of that fact, which we provide.
Third parties
No third party has routine access to USIPS operational logs. Records leave USIPS in exactly two ways: in response to valid legal process, per the Legal FAQ, or as statutorily required reports (NCMEC CyberTipline). USIPS does not sell, rent, or share operational data.
This website
usips.net is a static site. It sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and loads no third-party resources. It is served by GitHub Pages, which maintains standard access logs subject to GitHub's privacy statement.
Changes
Amendments are made by board resolution and recorded in the register block above and in this site's public revision history.