In 2020, the U.S. government asked and received more user data from technology companies than any other country, according to a new report by Internet security and technology company Techrobot.
The study analyzed Apple Inc、 Facebook IncAnd Twitter.The Transparency report between 2019 and 2020 found an increase in the number of requests for user data in 15 countries.
In the first quarter of 2020 alone, the US made 66598 data requests, a year-on-year increase of 21 per cent. Of these requests, 76% (about 50,000 messages) were agreed and shared by technology companies.
Many Americans remain skeptical and concerned that social media companies provide their data to third parties, including the U.S. Government.
The United States has the most requests for Facebook Inc and Twitter messages, with 61528 and 3429 requests respectively. In addition, the number of data requests from the US is six times that of Germany, which ranks second.
Overall, there has been a significant increase in the number of data requests in several countries, such as Denmark and South Korea, both of which increased by 400 per cent from 2019 to 2020, with Germany requesting the most information from Apple Inc.
Apple Inc said in his transparency report: "the situation requested by the government may be different, and law enforcement agencies will work on behalf of customers requesting help, including cases involving stolen or lost equipment and credit card fraud. In addition, in case of emergency, these requests may relate to an emergency where personal safety may be subject to imminent injury. "
Facebook Inc said of his transparency standards: "only if we sincerely believe that the law requires us to do so will we comply with the government's requirements for user information." When we do comply with the request, we will only provide information specific to that request. "
When approving a request for government information, Facebook Inc can generate basic user metadata, such as the user's name, payment information, email and IP address, as well as stored content, such as photos, videos and messages.
According to TwitterThe company reserves the right to disclose user information under daily legal requirements issued by emergency and law enforcement agencies, but "
Where appropriate, Twitter will reject requests for incomplete or inappropriate account information, such as requests that are ostensibly invalid or too wide-ranging. "
Over the past few years, technology companies have had a number of disputes with each other and with the US government over the confidentiality of user data.