Submitted by Kurt John • March 6, 2013Website: searchenginewatch.com
Google has released figures on the number of requests to turn over data made by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), showing that it receives less than 1,000 requests a year.
Google receives thousands of requests from law enforcement authorities to hand over user data, and while the firm was one of the first to publish transparency reports, it took until today for Google to work out a way to publish statistics about National Security Letters.
The firm’s figures show that it received less than 1,000 requests a year for the last four years, but it wasn’t able to elaborate further due to restrictions placed by law enforcement agencies.
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4 Responses to “Google Provides Vague Range of How Often FBI Seeks User Data” Leave a reply ›
Why publishing this report in the first place if the public is only going to get a vague range? I am not saying that security concerns should never come tops but I still find it hard to see reason this article is published in the first place.
Based on the vagueness of this report, has Google actually published “Transparency” reports on the number of user data provided to security agencies? I doubt if it did.
It would be okay if future reports include details of locations where the FBI seeks more users data. Some states and countries are more prone to data risks than others, and with such information, online users can be guided on how to protect themselves from online insecurity.
It always starts with overboard restrictions. But I believe in time, Google will be allowed to publish more detailed information about these issues. We’ll just have to wait and see.