Apple says US, UK top list of countries that demand information about phone users

From 1 January to 30 June this year there were almost 3,000 data requests made from 31 countries – with the U.S and UK topping the list. Apple said the most common requests related to ‘robberies and other crimes’, requests from law enforcement agencies searching for missing people or hoping to prevent a suicide, and […]

From 1 January to 30 June this year there were almost 3,000 data requests made from 31 countries – with the U.S and UK topping the list.
Apple said the most common requests related to ‘robberies and other crimes’, requests from law enforcement agencies searching for missing people or hoping to prevent a suicide, and data about the owners of lost or stolen phones.
The UK made 127 requests for personal information concerning a total of 141 accounts. Only 37 per cent of these were granted.
Third place went to Spain with 102 requests made about 104 accounts, with 22 per cent of these granted.
Surprisingly, Germany – renowned for its strong stance on privacy – was in fourth place asking for information about 93 accounts and receiving data on six per cent.
According to the report, responding to an account request usually involved providing information about an account holder’s iTunes or iCloud account, such as a name and address.
Apple said in very rare cases it was asked to provide stored photos or email and considered each request on a case-by-case basis.