The United States government topped
the list, with between 1,000 and 2,000 requests in the six months to 30 June.
The company said the US requests affected 2,000 to 3,000 accounts. However,
data was only given out on between zero and 1,000 accounts.
Apple said the most common account
requests involve robberies and other crimes or requests from law enforcement
officers searching for missing persons or children, finding a kidnapping
victim, or hoping to prevent a suicide.
Responding to an account request
usually involves providing information about an account holder’s iTunes or
iCloud account, such as a name and an address. In very rare cases, Apple is
also asked to provide stored photos or email.
"We consider these requests very
carefully and only provide account content in extremely limited
circumstances," Apple said in its report.
The UK was second on the list, with
127 data requests in the first six months of this year, followed by Spain
(102), Germany (93) and Australia (74).
"Our business does not depend on
collecting personal data. We have no interest in amassing personal information
about our customers," said Apple.
"At the time of this report, the
U.S. government does not allow Apple to disclose, except in broad ranges, the
number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the
orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed," said Apple.
"We strongly oppose this gag
order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in
meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General,
congressional leaders, and the courts.
"Despite our extensive efforts
in this area, we do not yet have an agreement that we feel adequately addresses
our customers’ right to know how often and under what circumstances we provide
data to law enforcement agencies."
The news comes in the wake of fresh
revelations about the extent of the US National Security Agency’s internet
surveillance. According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the agency
secretly exploits the data links in Google and Yahoo's global networks through
a project called MUSCULAR, allegedly operated jointly with the GCHQ.
Let's start with appropriate
oversight and appropriate transparency," he said in an interview with The
Wall Street Journal. "There clearly are cases where evil people exist, but
you don't have to violate the privacy of every single citizen in America in order
to find them!"
Earlier this year, an alliance of 63
companies, investors, charities and trade organisations – including Apple,
Google, Facebook and Microsoft –wrote a letter
to President Obama, asking for permission to make public the number
of government requests for information about their users.
In the letter, the alliance also
asked to report the number of individuals, accounts, or devices for which
information was requested, as well as the number of requests that sought
communications content, basic subscriber information or other information.
“Basic information about how the
government uses its various law enforcement-related investigative authorities
has been published for years without any apparent disruption to criminal
investigations. We seek permission for the same information to be made available
regarding the government’s national security-related authorities,” the letter
stated.
Source: Telegraph
previous article
Newer Post
No comments
Post a Comment