Top 10 countries requesting user data from tech companies

[Jesse]

Guess what. The United States is at the top of the charts among countries who make the most user data requests to tech companies. Surprising, right? Reuters compiled 2012 transparency report data from Google, Microsoft, Skype, and Twitter to find the top 10 countries who make requests, and from where the data is coming.

The U.S. government makes over twice the number of requests compared the next four on the list, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Turkey. Not that this excuses the action, but it’s worth noting that the U.S. also has four times the population of these countries. Of course, the U.S. government also has PRISM, which most certainly isn’t included in annual transparency reports, so there’s that, too.

Click on the image above to see details about the data collection methods Reuters used.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/52895-top-10-countries-requesting-user-data-from-tech-companies.html

 

[treeski]

I'm guessing China's not on the list because it doesn't make "requests". Also, not accounting for population absolutely makes this unsurprising.

 

[VitalyT]

I'm guessing China's not on the list because it doesn't make "requests". Also, not accounting for population absolutely makes this unsurprising.

Should come as no surprise that China, North Korea, and a number of countries with enforced regime on security do not make requests for it because they own the security. The list only includes countries that practice democracy.

 

[Guest]

Is Turkey still a democracy? I guess it is - on paper...

 

[cliffordcooley]

Is Turkey still a democracy? I guess it is - on paper...

So is the US.

 

[VitalyT]

Is Turkey still a democracy? I guess it is - on paper...

The keyword is "practice", as opposed to "have".

 

[Guest]

Who the hell rules the US? of course not the ppl

 

[Nobina]

Who the hell rules the US? of course not the ppl

Gues who? The government and the president.

 

[Adhmuz]

Glad I live in Canada, we don't even make the list. Probably because we don't have the same degree of entertainment business which is obviously in bed with the US government. A large portion of those request are towards search engines to block pages, you know the old Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1996 nonsense to see every now and then, basically making you a criminal without due cause and forcing search giants to remove you from their results. Now if only I could get this US BS to stop filtering my Canadian search results...

 

[Guest]

Now if only I could get this US BS to stop filtering my Canadian search results..

Well when Canada is able to make something that the rest of the world wants, then they can do whatever they want with it as well. Be happy an American company allows you to use it. Now sit down and drink your chocolate milk.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Well when Canada is able to make something that the rest of the world wants, then they can do whatever they want with it as well. Be happy an American company allows you to use it. Now sit down and drink your chocolate milk.

What arrogance! You should sit down and drink your chocolate milk as equals.

 

[Guest]

What arrogance! You should sit down and drink your chocolate milk as equals.

Nice comeback, I hope you are not the best of what Canada has to offer. My original statement stands true.

 

[Guest]

That is very arrogant and cocky. As the past as proven, invention and innovation is finest when countries work together. You think America has made the best things in the world? Well sorry buddy the whole world came together and created the internet. To this day they all still work together to innovate and keep the servers up and running around the globe.

Touch screen Tech and web surfing design came from CERN and that is a massive project involving many scientists from around the world. It took united Europe to make it a reality and agreements with one of the worst team players in the world.

America doesn't suck but you sure don't help with making America look any better to world with comments like these. Next time you comment don't drag your country into it.

 

[Kneep]

What arrogance! You should sit down and drink your chocolate milk as equals.

Nice comeback, I hope you are not the best of what Canada has to offer. My original statement stands true.

lol, you must be a yank We're the smarter, more reasonable and easy going ones on this continent Go Canada

 

[cliffordcooley]

Nice comeback, I hope you are not the best of what Canada has to offer. My original statement stands true.

Actually I'm American who wishes he wasn't. I see people for who they really are, equals. We all live and breath the same air.

 

[sdms96825]

Now if only I could get this US BS to stop filtering my Canadian search results..

Well when Canada is able to make something that the rest of the world wants, then they can do whatever they want with it as well. Be happy an American company allows you to use it. Now sit down and drink your chocolate milk.

I would substitute Molson

 

[pmshah]

Now if only I could get this US BS to stop filtering my Canadian search results..

Well when Canada is able to make something that the rest of the world wants, then they can do whatever they want with it as well. Be happy an American company allows you to use it. Now sit down and drink your chocolate milk.

Only thing that US makes that the rest of the world wants are the killing machines. US wants them to take by force what does not belong to them. Rest of the world wants it to defend against such US acts.

 

[Archean]

I'm guessing China's not on the list because it doesn't make "requests". Also, not accounting for population absolutely makes this unsurprising.

Should come as no surprise that China, North Korea, and a number of countries with enforced regime on security do not make requests for it because they own the security. The list only includes countries that practice democracy.

Unfortunately in many countries (some developed ones as well) democracy is nothing but a 'farce' or an 'illusion' created to make people believe that they are in control, but in reality, they are not.

 

[teribithia]

Where is China? China's GREAT FIRE WALL is so famous.

 

[Guest]

USA is a very paranoid country. Terrorism my ***. If there's one, they deserve it after what they've did.

 

[Guest]

Here's what the graph looks like if you take into account the population of the countries concerned. (More details on the calculations at http://www.complicity.co.uk/blog/2013/06/that-reuters-data-requests-graph/)

 

[Guest]

Who the hell rules the US? of course not the ppl

Gues who? The government and the president.

Elected by the people. In other words, people rules the US by proxy.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Elected by the people.

You mean the choices we usually have selecting between two or three morons?