Call records, also known as phone metadata, detail information about telephone calls made and received, excluding their content. These logs typically include...
Call records usually contain details such as the originating and destination phone numbers, the date and time of the call, its duration, and sometimes general location data, but they do not include the actual content of the conversation.
Telecommunication companies retain these records. Law enforcement or government agencies can typically access them with a proper legal warrant, subpoena, or court order, adhering to specific jurisdictional laws and privacy regulations.
Call record retention periods vary significantly by country and service provider, often ranging from several months to several years, depending on legal requirements, regulatory mandates, and operational needs for billing and service.
While 'call records' primarily refer to voice calls, telecommunication companies also maintain similar metadata for text messages (SMS/MMS), detailing sender, recipient, time, and date, but not the message content itself. These are often grouped under 'communication records'.