Update on our legal status

Hey Tidbit users,

First of all, thank you for signing up to receive updates on our progress. Typically, legal issues are an unavoidable growing pain for startups. For Tidbit, they've arrived quite a bit earlier. We don’t want to bore you with the legalese, but we want to keep you filled in as you may be affected.

On December 4, 2013, Tidbit was served a subpoena by the New Jersey Attorney General. It demanded that we gather and release sensitive information: our source code, user information, hosting websites, and much more. You can view the subpoena and interrogatories here and here.

Don’t worry, we haven’t released any of your information. We reached out to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and they agreed to represent us. Together we moved to quash the subpoena on January 22, 2014. You can view the filing here.

There are two main ways this could affect you.

1. Our development progress has been halted. From what we understand, we can’t release anything or even incorporate until the subpoena has been settled. Obviously, this is a significant setback. We’re intensely frustrated and are working to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

2. We've gotten word from some of our Tidbit users that the NJ Attorney General has served them subpoenas requesting information regarding Tidbit. If you get served one, don’t worry. Get in touch with your legal counsel. If you don’t have immediate legal counsel, email info@eff.org for assistance in finding representation.

We’re truly sorry if this inconveniences any of you. We don’t know why the NJ Attorney General is targeting Tidbit so aggressively, but it hurts all of us. As always, we’re working hard to make progress. With luck, we’ll clear up the legal situation and get back to coding.

Best,
The Tidbit Team