Section 1546.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 1546.

in effect

For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) An “adverse result” means any of the following: (1) Danger to the life or physical safety of an individual. (2) Flight from prosecution. (3) Destruction of or tampering with evidence. (4) Intimidation of potential witnesses. (5) Serious jeopardy to an investigation or undue delay of a trial. (b) “Authorized possessor” means the possessor of an electronic device when that person is the owner of the device or has been authorized to possess the device by the owner of the device. (c) “Electronic communication” means the transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system. (d) “Electronic communication information” means any information about an electronic communication or the use of an electronic communication service, including, but not limited to, the contents, sender, recipients, format, or location of the sender or recipients at any point during the communication, the time or date the communication was created, sent, or received, or any information pertaining to any individual or device participating in the communication, including, but not limited to, an IP address. “Electronic communication information” does not include subscriber information as defined in this chapter. (e) “Electronic communication service” means a service that provides to its subscribers or users the ability to send or receive electronic communications, including any service that acts as an intermediary in the transmission of electronic communications, or stores electronic communication information. (f) “Electronic device” means a device that stores, generates, or transmits information in electronic form. An electronic device does not include the magnetic strip on a driver’s license or an identification card issued by this state or a driver’s license or equivalent identification card issued by another state. (g) “Electronic device information” means any information stored on or generated through the operation of an electronic device, including the current and prior locations of the device. (h) “Electronic information” means electronic communication information or electronic device information. (i) “Government entity” means a department or agency of the state or a political subdivision thereof, or an individual acting for or on behalf of the state or a political subdivision thereof. (j) “Service provider” means a person or entity offering an electronic communication service. (k) “Specific consent” means consent provided directly to the government entity seeking information, including, but not limited to, when the government entity is the addressee or intended recipient or a member of the intended audience of an electronic communication. Specific consent does not require that the originator of the communication have actual knowledge that an addressee, intended recipient, or member of the specific audience is a government entity. (l) “Subscriber information” means the name, street address, telephone number, email address, or similar contact information provided by the subscriber to the service provider to establish or maintain an account or communication channel, a subscriber or account number or identifier, the length of service, and the types of services used by a user of or subscriber to a service provider.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026