PRIVATE INFORMATION on Google users was demanded by governments or police more than 14,000 times in 26 developed countries in the second half of last year, according to figures released for the first time by the internet group yesterday.
In an effort to highlight online censorship, Google disclosed that it had received more requests from the US than anywhere else and that it complied with anywhere from three-quarters to more than 90 per cent of the requests, depending on the country in which they were made.
Google received a record 4,601 requests from the US to disclose internet users’ private data in the six months to December, up 28 per cent year on year.
The California-based company said it fully or partially complied with 94 per cent of user data orders from the US and with 72 per cent of those from the UK.
The UK made 1,162 user data requests in the second half of last year, ranking it fourth in terms of requests, behind the US, Brazil and India.
Google began releasing its half-yearly Transparency Report in April 2010 to highlight state censorship of the internet. William Echikson, Google’s head of free expression for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said there was increasing pressure from European governments to remove content.
“We are seeing governments around the world crack down on the internet and there is more and more pressure from inside Europe – it’s not just on us but all internet companies,” he said.
Google products were banned or partially banned in 25 countries, Mr Echikson said, adding that the “Arab spring” uprising, in which Egypt and Tunisia clamped down on the internet, had “raised the profile” of online censorship, but internet companies needed to do more to combat the trend.
Google said it complied with a request to block access to 43 YouTube videos in Thailand because they were breaking that country’s law by “mocking or criticising” King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Brazil still leads the way in requesting that Google removes content, with 263 orders, ahead of South Korea, Germany, Libya and India. The UK requested the removal of 93,360 fraudulent Google AdWords linked to scams.
The majority of US content removal requests arise from court orders over defamation.
Google said it had received no content removal requests from China in the latter part of 2010. It began redirecting Chinese users to its uncensored Hong Kong site in June 2010 amid allegations of state spying. Hong Kong increased its demands for user data by 80 per cent in the six-month period. – ( Guardianservice)