Apple says US law enforcement agencies have made thousands of requests for user info

[Youbetternot]

Wow the NSA is also attacking Apple. During January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013, law enforcement agencies in the US have made 1,000 to 2,000 account requests that affect 2,000 to 3,000 specific accounts. They ask for Itunes and icloud information for people. Apple pretty much gave them what they want. In defense apple said ""We believe that our customers have a right to understand how their personal information is handled, and we consider it our responsibility to provide them with the best privacy protections available.""

 

 

Yahoo and Facebook have done it, and now it's Apple's turn to reveal the data requests it gets from the world's governments. In the latest report released by the Cupertino company, it revealed that in the period between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013, law enforcement agencies in the US have made 1,000 to 2,000 account requests that affect 2,000 to 3,000 specific accounts. Of that number, 0 to 1,000 accounts were disclosed, though Apple claims it objected to that same number of requests. If some of these numbers sound awfully vague, it's because the US government doesn't allow the company to disclose the exact number of orders as well as which accounts are affected. Apple strongly opposes this, stating: "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." Indeed, Apple has filed an Amicus brief at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court) in support for greater transparency, and pledges to file a second one at the Ninth Circuit.

The device request numbers are much more specific -- 3,542, to be exact -- as these typically do not involve any national security orders and are more about tracking down lost or stolen goods. In those requests, 8,605 devices were specified and of that number, data was provided on 3,110 of them. Apple asserts that "only a small fraction" of requests seek personal account information in regards to iTunes or iCloud. If there are government requests that breach certain expectations of privacy, Apple logs those as one of the aforementioned "account requests." That said, Apple claims that the most common account requests involve robberies or requests to search for missing persons, which might put a damper on any NSA conspiracies. The company states: "We believe that our customers have a right to understand how their personal information is handled, and we consider it our responsibility to provide them with the best privacy protections available." In perhaps a shot against Google, Apple also says "our business does not depend on collecting personal data. We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers."

source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/05/apple-government-requests/

 

[Sarcasm]

Once again, 'MURIKA

 

I feel like I've posted that a lot lately...

[afa7336]

I love this, I really do... You realize how SMALL this is.

 

"1,000 to 2,000 account requests that affect 2,000 to 3,000 specific accounts. Of that number, 0 to 1,000 accounts were disclosed"

 

This is a fraction of a percent of the population. And you notice the way it was worded, it stated LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. That means everything from local PD, State PD, FBI, up to the NSA. Now say you had an icloud account being used to harass someone, they would have to request account details. There is one. How about an icloud account being used to send messages to a known Al-Qaeda email? Thats another. Or lets go further, how about an email being sent to a known drug smuggler, arranging to pick up x quantity of drugs? That is another. Make a big deal about it if you want, but this isn't THAT big of a deal, and people want to make more out of it then it really is, which is kinda lame and sad.

[Kirihuna]

To be fair, it makes a tad bit of sense why they went to Apple.

 

iMessage goes through Apple's servers and plus a big chunk of the people in the USA own iPhones.

 

But none the less, it's not right that they did it.

[SXCS23]

That's it? I expected it to be much higher.