In today’s tech industry, many companies use the term “privacy” as a key selling point. While there are more and more users who care about that particular aspect, they are still a relatively small niche. That said, it seems that the promised privacy is contingent on who requests its disclosure. A recent report claims that big tech companies, including Apple and Google, give in more than you would expect to government requests for user data disclosure.
Apple is the company that most complies with government requests for user data, report claims
The report comes from Surfshark, a cybersecurity company. According to its research, Apple is the company that leads the rate of user data disclosure in response to government requests. The Cupertino giant has given in to an average of 83% of requests between 2016 and 2022. Before that year, Apple’s average was below 75%. It may be surprising to see Apple leading this ranking, considering that privacy is one of the selling points of its products. However, there may be certain situations where legislation forces you to give in.
The report also includes names like Google (72.9%), Meta (72.8%), and Microsoft (67%) among the major big tech companies that comply with government requests for user data. The figures reflect an average between 2013 and 2022. During said period, government entities requested data from 9 million accounts in 190 countries, according to Surfshark. In addition, the US and EU lead the ranking of authorities that send the most requests for disclosure of user data.
The US government leads the list with requests for data from 3.3 million accounts in 10 years. This translates to a ratio of 989 accounts per 100k inhabitants, which is up to 9 times more than the global average of account requests per population (115/100k). Germany, with 850 accounts/100k, is second in the list of account data requests per population. Next are the United Kingdom (453 accounts/100k) and Australia (370 accounts/100k).
The US and EU governments account for 58% of global requests
The United States and the EU account for 58% of global requests for disclosure of user data between 2013 and 2022. Notably, numerous requests pertain to criminal investigations or comparable circumstances. Given the context, surely many will agree on these practices to facilitate the collection of potential key evidence. However, in the end, it is also important to find a balance between tools to fight crimes and the right to privacy. It’s easier said than done, as the lines are always being crossed.
