The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is made up of the Network Administrator (Vibrant Emotional Health or Vibrant), state agencies, territories, Tribes, and crisis contact centers participating in the operation of the 988 Lifeline Services. Confidentiality is a fundamental principle of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline).
What does “confidential” mean in the context of 988 Lifeline?
“Confidential” means that data collected through 988 Lifeline Services (call, text, chat, and videophone) are protected via data security safeguards (in accordance with federal and state law) and are treated as highly sensitive information. The sharing and use of the data is restricted, with few exceptions described below.
You do not have to share any personal information with the 988 Lifeline counselors about who you are or where you are to receive support.
“Confidential” and “anonymous” are not considered to be the same and are not used interchangeably. Your contact with the 988 Lifeline and any information about yourself that you voluntarily share could identify you and may be documented by the 988 Lifeline counselor and used to provide you care.
What Information does the 988 Lifeline Collect?
Most of the information collected by 988 Lifeline counselors about you is what you voluntarily share, whether that is through a phone conversation, a series of text messages, a chat session, or a videophone session. When you are connected to a 988 Lifeline counselor, that person will take notes on the conversation. This means that you should assume that any information you share in a conversation may be documented, along with the 988 Lifeline counselor’s impressions and the steps they took to help you (e.g. recommended resources, connections to emergency services, and follow-up care).
The information collected by counselors could include:
Contact information: First and last name, email address, phone number or other contact information. This applies to information you voluntarily give about yourself and about another person or people if you are reaching out to help someone else.
Information collected by technology systems could include:
- Details of your device’s characteristics and functionality (e.g., device type, browser, operating system, mobile network information)
- The pages and documents you viewed on the website
- Your Internet Protocol (IP) address: This is a unique numerical label assigned to every device connected to the internet, essentially acting like an online address that allows devices to communicate with each other by identifying their location on the network.
- Your general location for phone routing to the closest local contact center
- Call recordings or chat/text transcripts used to improve 988 Lifeline service or to evaluate complaints.
For more information on how the 988 Lifeline addresses the privacy of your information, please see the 988 Lifeline Privacy Policy.
How does the 988 Lifeline Use and Share Collected Information?
SAMHSA requires Vibrant as the Network Administrator to adhere to federal privacy requirements through its cooperative agreement.
State agencies are required to comply with both federal and state privacy laws. As such, the privacy requirements differ based upon each state’s privacy laws. In many instances, states have stricter privacy requirements than the federal laws.
The Network Administrator requires 988 Lifeline crisis contact centers to adhere to federal privacy requirements through federal grants and a network agreement with the Network Administrator. Crisis contact centers are also required to comply with state privacy laws. Furthermore, all crisis contact centers are independent organizations that also have their own privacy and security policies. To learn more about a specific center’s policy, please visit that center’s website. Here is a list of all 988 crisis contact centers with their locations.
The information that you provide can be shared in these main forms:
- Aggregated: None of your personal information is used. Examples of use of this information is to be able to report on the number of contacts to the 988 Lifeline, how many contacts were answered, and how long it took to answer calls, texts, and chats.
- De-Identified Row Level: SAMHSA, Vibrant, and states use information with Zip codes, but without individual identifying information, to evaluate the quality of service and trends around the use of the 988 Lifeline.
- Personally Identifiable: SAMHSA, Vibrant, and crisis contact centers use this information to investigate deaths after someone has contacted the 988 Lifeline, to investigate grievances, and in response to court orders. States and crisis contact centers may use this information to coordinate care required beyond your call, text, or chat. In some states, your personal information is used to submit claims to government and private insurance companies.
Sharing of information for any other reason is prohibited unless there is imminent risk of harm to you or to someone else, or the sharing of information is required by law or we have your informed consent. You have the right to request that your 988 Lifeline counselor to not share your personal information.
Your information will only be used or repurposed for the reasons articulated above.
How long is your information retained by the 988 Lifeline?
The crisis contact centers must maintain all contact records for a minimum period of three years. It is the responsibility of the center to create policies and procedures for the safe storage and access of contact records, along with appropriate destruction of records following the required maintenance period. Centers must ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.
As applicable, crisis contact centers must create policies and procedures for the safe storage and access of recordings and transcripts, along with appropriate destruction of such recordings and transcripts following the required maintenance period. Centers must ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.
How does the 988 Lifeline protect your Information?
Vibrant stores all information it receives from crisis contact centers in a “unified platform,” which is a database technology system that helps route calls efficiently and is where 988 Lifeline counselor notes are entered. The unified platform uses security safeguards to protect sensitive health information and treats all communications as highly sensitive personal information, in alignment with applicable federal and state laws. For more information, see our privacy policy. Some states and crisis contact centers use their own centralized technology platforms. All states and crisis centers are required to adhere to data security standards. The Network Agreement between Vibrant and crisis contact centers requires that each 988 Lifeline crisis contact center ensure that they have incorporated SAMHSA’s cybersecurity standards and protections that are consistent with the HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals to protect 988-related infrastructure and user information.
Updated August 2026