US and EU agencies top the list for requesting user data from Big Tech companies globally

US and EU agencies top the list for requesting user data from Big Tech companies globally

VoM News Desk | September 3, 2024 | 11:09 PM IST | Technology, World | Follow on Google News

US and EU agencies top the list for requesting user data from Big Tech companies globally

US and EU agencies top the list for requesting user data from Big Tech companies globally

From 2013 to 2022, Meta and Google received the highest number of account requests 

The latest Surfshark report analyzes the number of accounts specified in user data requests for Big Tech (Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft ) by the local authorities and law enforcement agencies. The cases of requests may be related to criminal investigations, as well as civil or administrative cases when digital evidence is needed. In total, almost 9 million accounts were requested in 190 countries from 2013 to 2022, with a steady increase in the latest years. The research shows that U.S. and EU authorities request data the most. 

Over 10 years, the US requested 3.3M accounts to be disclosed by Apple, Meta, Google, and Microsoft. Looking at requested accounts per population. the US ranks 1st in the world based on the user accounts requested by authorities over this time period (989 accounts per 100k people), in comparison to Germany (2nd with 850 accounts/100k), the UK (4th with 453k accounts/100k) and Australia (12th with 370 accounts/100k). The US made 9 times more user account requests per population than the global average (115/100k). 

Global trends show that governments request more user data than ever (38% increase)

The research shows that globally, countries requested almost 9 million accounts combined from Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft during a 10-year period. The number of accounts requested increased more than eight times from 2013 to 2022, with 2022 experiencing an increase of around 38% from the previous year.  

“Surfshark’s research shows that government requests for user data have increased significantly,” says Goda Sukackaite, Privacy Counsel at Surfshark. “While it is crucial for authorities to have tools to combat serious crimes, it is also important to ensure that these measures do not infringe on the fundamental right to privacy,” 

The US and EU account for 58% of all accounts of interest from 2013 to 2022. To compare the two, the US requested more than double the accounts per 100K people than all EU countries combined. Looking at the top 10, half of the countries are from the EU (Germany, France, Ireland, Portugal, and Belgium). Singapore, the UK, South Korea, and Brazil comprise the rest. 

Between 2013 and 2022, companies complied with user data requests at an average rate of 72%. Apple has been leading in disclosure rates since 2016, raising them from 75% in 2016 to 83% in 2022. While Apple’s average is 82%, the remaining companies have slightly lower disclosure rates: Google – 72.9%,  Meta – 72.8%, and Microsoft – 67%. 

METHODOLOGY

The Report on Government Requests for User Data uses information from transparency reports published by four major tech companies – Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The study identifies 190 countries whose government agencies have requested user data from these companies between 2013 and 2022. As a data request can cover multiple accounts, the research examines the number of accounts specified in these requests and their global distribution per population. It also compares the number of requests disclosed partially or fully.

The collected data was aggregated and analyzed in five major categories: user data requests received, partially or fully disclosed requests, percentages of disclosed requests, accounts specified within these requests, and requested accounts per 100K people in each country. Countries with less than 1M people were excluded from the ranking for statistical accuracy. Full methodology and data: surfshark.com/government-requests-for-user-data 

Full research material and notes on company-level data

VoM News Desk

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