As Microsoft has done in the past, Apple has now offered up a very broad and general report on the amount of information requests that it gets from governments all over the world. In its first public document of its type ever released, Apple also took the time to slam the U.S. government for a lack of information transparency that Apple is forced to accept because of current laws and court orders.
The report itself covers the petitions Apple got in the first half of 2013. In the case of the United States, Apple received between 1,000 to 2,000 requests for information that cover 2,000 to 3,000 accounts from government authorities. Apple said it disclosed customer data from less than 1,000 of these accounts.
If you think that"s pretty vague information, you aren"t alone. Apple used the report to make the case that the government is wrong to keep most of this data a secret. It says, "We strongly oppose this gag order, and Apple has made the case for relief from these restrictions in meetings and discussions with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the courts."
Microsoft and Google have both filed lawsuits against the U.S. government in an attempt to offer the public more in-depth statistics on these info requests. Apple stated today that it has filed an Amicus brief to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that supports a number of cases asking for more transparency.
Source: Apple | Image via Apple