Apple, Facebook and Twitter all saw an increase in user data requests from governments around the world.
Data requests from governments are usually granted for "law enforcement" purposes. This includes investigating international theft, fraud, and trafficking.
After criticism from politicians and digital rights advocates, major tech companies all published some form of transparency report.
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Although data privacy is becoming more sought-after in the digital age, it is still not fully guaranteed in many countries.
According to Techrobot, the US government requested and received more user information from tech companies in 2020 than any other country.
The study, which examines transparency reports from Apple and Twitter between 2019-2020, found an increase in requests for user data across 15 countries. In the first quarter 2020, the US received 66,598 data requests, an increase of 21% over the previous year. Tech companies shared 76% of those requests, which was roughly 50,000 information.
Many Americans are still skeptical about the possibility that social media companies could give their data to third parties, even the US government.
With 61,528 requests and 3,429 requests, respectively, the US was the top country for Twitter and Facebook information requests. Facebook received six times as many data requests from the US, compared to Germany, which had the second highest number.
Many countries experienced significant increases in data requests, including South Korea and Denmark, both of which saw 400% more requests between 2019 and 2020. Germany was the country that requested the most information from Apple.
Governments have access to user data in emergency situations, but this is not covered by the terms of service of tech companies. This includes warrants in urgent situations and criminal investigations that cross international borders.
According to Apple, "Government request situations can differ from instances when law enforcement agencies work on behalf of customers who've requested assistance." This includes cases involving stolen or lost devices and credit card fraud. Requests can also be made in emergency situations that could cause imminent danger to any person's safety.
Facebook's transparency guidelines state that it only responds to government requests for user data when it is in good faith. We only provide information that is specifically tailored to the request when we comply.
Facebook can provide basic subscriber metadata if it approves a government request. This includes user names, payment information and email addresses. It also allows users to access stored content such as photos, videos and messages.
According to Twitter's guidelines for information requests, Twitter reserves the right to share user information in an emergency or routine legal demand.
Twitter said that Twitter would respond to any requests for account information that were incomplete or improper. This includes requests that are too broad or facially invalid.
In the last few years, there have been numerous battles between tech companies and the US federal governments over user data confidentiality. The National Conference of State Legislatures presented a comprehensive privacy regulation earlier this month. It covered how data is collected and stored, disclosed, deleted, and shared.
