Apple Gave Data On Up to 1000 Users to U.S. Government in Early 2013

New company transparency report reveals additional surveillance requests

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Apple was asked by the U.S. government to share information on 2,000 to 3,000 of its users in the first half of 2013, according to the company’s first transparency report.

Published Tuesday, the report outlines the type of information requested between Jan. 1 and June 30, which was mostly for device information, including when a user reports a lost device. A small fraction of the data request pertained to personal data, including account information for iTunes, iCloud or Game Center. Apple said it submitted data in up to 1,000 cases.

“We consider these requests very carefully and only provide account content in extremely limited circumstances,” the company said in the report.

The report adds Apple to the long list of tech companies tapped to provide data for surveillance. Companies that publish numbers about government security requests for user data are required to do so in ranges of 1,000, Business Insider reports. That means the actual number of requests granted could be significantly fewer.

Apple also vowed to join the fight for more transparency in government surveillance, and said it filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed by Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft and LinkedIn against the U.S. government at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Last week Apple joined the aforementioned companies in a campaign for the USA Freedom Act, which would restrict the National Security Agency’s surveillance powers.

The report also mentioned that Apple has never received requests to collect phone records, which is outlined under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.