And Microsoft, after Facebook, gave some vague figures that give an idea of approximately how many requests the company receives from the government to hand over its users' data.
Microsoft said that [quote]“the FBI and DOJ have given us permission to release some additional information,” but also said that they “are permitted to release the full volume of national security requests, which may include FISA orders.”[/quote]
Therefore, what we know from the above statements is that there is again censorship as to what the company can give. Meanwhile, the information it gives cannot be analyzed as it is very vague.
[quote]For the six months ended December 31, 2012, Microsoft received between 6,000 and 7,000 requests related to criminal cases, national security matters, and warrants involving between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts from U.S. government agencies for the FISA (local, state, and federal). This affects only a small percentage of Microsoft's total customer base.[/quote]
The company's statement is very similar to Facebook's as we mentioned in a previous post:
The social networking company revealed that in the second half of 2012, the total number of requests it received from law enforcement agencies was between 9,000 and 10,000. These cases involve a wide range of cases such as missing children, tracking a fugitive, or terrorism investigations. In total, about 19,000 accounts were reviewed by US agencies.
The fact that both companies are reporting data from the second to last half of the year is no coincidence. Interestingly, Microsoft gave more accounts and mentions the “prohibited” word FISA in its statement. Facebook, a company known for its consumer market share, comes in second in requests, quite coincidentally.
It was expected that large companies would try to reassure their audience. We at iGuRu.gr already feel safer…
