Facebook report: 74 countries sought data on 38,000 users

Facebook fielded requests from 74 countries for data on at least 38,000 users in the first half of 2013, the company said in its first report in an intended series of reports to follow, detailing the scale and scope of data requests it receives from governments around the world.

The report covers every request the company has received from every government from January through June 30. Facebook said the report includes requests made for security reasons and for criminal cases. In the latter, the company may be asked, for example, to supply information to help authorities in robbery or kidnapping cases. In those requests, the company said, officials often seek data on users’ names or length of service and sometimes users’ IP address or “actual account content.” The United States, by far, has sought the most user information from Facebook — from 11,000 to 12,000 requests for access to more than 20,000 accounts. Facebook said that it supplied data in roughly 79 percent of those cases. The United States allows companies to release only the ranges of the number of requests the government makes. Facebook, among other technology firms that collect user data, has asked to be allowed to list the actual number of requests it has received from the U.S. government and to say what kind of information it’s asked to reveal. The Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based nonprofit group, is pushing the Obama Administration US to allow tech firms to be more specific in releasing the exact numbers and scope of information requests issued by the US government.