Google Expands Data on Government Requests in Report

Google expanded the information it discloses in its report on government requests for data, as the company seeks to balance the demands of law-enforcement agencies with its need to protect user privacy. The company will now include all countries’ emergency disclosure requests, which come from agencies seeking information to help a person in danger.

Previously, it listed such requests only from the US. It also will show requests to set aside information relating to a user’s account -- preserving data while the authorities go through the steps to get to a formal request. In the six months that ended Dec. 31, Google received 30,138 requests globally for information about more than 50,585 users or accounts. The number of requests fell 4.9 percent from the first half of 2014, while the number of users or accounts involved rose by 4.1 percent.