Google: More than 44K government requests for data

Government requests for Google user data rose slightly in the first half of 2016. Google said that it received 44,943 requests from government entities worldwide in the first six months of the year, up from 40,677 in the previous six month period. The requests affected 76,713 accounts — a decrease from the previous six months. The company said it had provided the authorities with some data in 64 percent of cases. That was the same rate as in the prior six months. For the first time, the company said, it had received requests from officials in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Belarus, El Salvador, Fiji and the Cayman Islands.