Apple shares latest data requests from global governments

Ah, Friday nights. Always the very best time for anyone to share information if they want it to be scrutinised, especially after a long week in journalism. And look, Hey Presto, here is Apple’s latest biannual transparency report to tell us just how many surveillance requests governments have made from the corporation.

The leading feature within this Is that Apple is sharing the latest US demands for location and latitude coordinates for the first time. (Who else didn’t know they asked for data like that?).

What Apple said

“Apple is very seriously committed to protecting your data and we work hard to deliver the most secure hardware, software and services available. We believe our customers have a right to understand how their personal data is managed and protected. This report provides information regarding requests Apple received from government agencies worldwide and U.S. private parties from January 1 through June 30, 2022.”

Which governments are the nosiest?

So, which governments are making the most device-based requests, and how often is Apple honouring these? Here are the top eight nations for such requests. The first data point shows the number of device requests received, the second the percentage of device requests where data is provided. The third shows the number of devices specified in a specific request.

• Germany, 11,999 and 73%. 17,623.
• US, 5,611 and 82%. 19,253.
• Brazil, 3,759 and 90%. 15,370.
• China mainland 1,481 and 95%
• Spain 1,206 at 73%. 2,512.
• UK, 882 and 77%. 1,369.
• France, 686, 54%. 3,164,
• Singapore, 771/86%. 816.

Apple states:

“We have a dedicated team available around the clock to respond to emergency requests. Apple processes emergency requests from law enforcement globally on a 24/7 basis. An emergency request must relate to circumstances involving imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to any person. If Apple believes in good faith that it is a valid emergency, we may voluntarily provide information to law enforcement on an emergency basis.”

You can read the report and get your own conclusions here.

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