Feds’ Requests for Google Data Rise 20 Percent

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By Ryan Singel September 21, 2010 | 2:59 am |


The number of U.S. government requests for Google data rose 20 percent in the last six months, according to data released by the search giant Monday.

U.S. government agencies sent Google 4,287 requests for data on Google users and services from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2010, an average of 23.5 a day. That’s compared to 3,287 for July 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, the company reported Tuesday in an update to its unique transparency tool.

That rise is just a small part of the newest statistics on worldwide government data requests to Google, which are now paired with a comprehensive tool for viewing government blockages of Google services. The new tool lets you check timelines of traffic to 17 Google services from some 200 countries to see blockages and traffic patterns.

The new tool builds upon (and replaces) the up-time monitor that Google custom-built so the public could monitor censorship of its services in China in this spring’s showdown over censorship. However, that tool inadvertantly reported a China-wide blockage in July when none existed, leading to press reports that had to be quickly retracted.



Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/google-government-requests-rise