Government Surveillance is Up According to Google Report

Posted by in Technology


People share statuses, repost photos and tweet life’s most intimate details. There are so many ways to broadcast personal business but what about the secrets passed around online. Are they safe from prying eyes? The opportunity to keep things “just between friends” on the internet is practically extinct. Privacy settings can be circumvented by the technically savvy, especially when it comes to the government.

 

Even the sacred space of e-mail offers no sanctuary of private messaging when enquiring minds want to investigate the details of personal conversations. Just ask David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency who recently resigned after the FBI uncovered unsent e-mails in a draft folder that revealed his involvement in an extramarital affair.

 

That was the head of the CIA! It’s hard to imagine what kind of snooping the government can do when it comes to plain-old-private-citizens. Google attempts to alleviate a little bit of that guess work with their biannual Transparency Report which tracks different governments’ requests to access users’ files and remove content. Google states, “As a company we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that we maximize transparency around the flow of information related to our tools and services. We believe that more information means more choice, more freedom and ultimately more power for the individual.”

 

It sounds like the plot of a cheesy spy movie but basically it all boils down to the data Google has that governments around the world want, particularly information that pertains to criminal investigations. Google’s senior policy analyst Dorothy Chou wrote in a blog post, “This is the sixth time we’ve released this data, and one trend has become clear: Government surveillance is on the rise.”

 

According to Chou, in the first half of 2012, there were 20,938 inquiries from government entities around the world requesting information about 34,614 accounts. The U.S. made 7,969 of those requests on about 16,281 accounts - a 26 percent increase from the prior period. Google complied with 90% of the requests.

 

RedOrbit broke down some of the stats about the inquiries Google received and the action they took:

 

  • 5 requests were made to remove 7 YouTube videos critical of public officials, but Google declined them all.
     
  • 1 court order was received to remove 1,754 posts from Google Groups involving a case of continuous defamation against a man and his family. 1,664 of those posts were removed.
     
  • 3 court orders came in pertaining to 641 search results that linked to purportedly defamatory websites to which Google removed 233 search results.
     
  • 156 search results for trademark violations were removed.

 

Although many of the requests Google receives are legitimate and stop threatening behavior or the spread of slanderous information, sometimes that’s not the case. CNN’s Heather Kelly points out, “Outdated laws have created loopholes that allow government and law enforcement agencies to request information and conduct electronic surveillance without warrants. The piece of legislation at the heart of the issue is the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in 1986. Technology has changed radically in the past 25 years. E-mails, cellphones, location information and data stored on cloud services weren't considered when the original law was drafted.”

 

Many lawmakers are calling for the ECPA to be updated but until that happens it’s important that internet users understand the way the current laws work and how the government is using it to moderate the information broadcast online and discover the secrets some people are trying to bury.

 

Image compliments of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.

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  • Heather Fairchild
    Heather Fairchild
    I just wonder who draws the line between what is private and what could be considered criminal...
  • Robert V
    Robert V
    As a third year psychology student at Argosy University.  It's very important to me what I say or interact with professional or general lay person!  A person should very careful what they say and what level of activity they might participate.  While using online services they should be held responsible for their actions that could harm the general public.  What might seem harmless to the doer or author of an indecent vocabulary could be misunderstood by the reader.   Teaching basic pre-adult skills should begin at home as a pre-teen.  The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 is important for several reasons.  One, protect the public.  Two, collect and prosecute the guilty of any crime that hurts the public of defamation of character.  
  • Shari G
    Shari G
    Thank you for the kind reminder.  It is a shame that we have the beauty of technology then we have to use it with such caution.  We have freedom of Speech but if we express those thoughts in writing then they can be used against us.  Since we DO have freedom of Speech, At what point or in what context is it then considered defamatory? When it is transferred from thought to text?  Just curious.
  • mike m
    mike m
    Great article! Could you tell me where the surveilancejobs are?
  • John M
    John M
    Obviously, this is one of a myriad of things that require a real discussion on a nationwide basis.  Personal responsibility for what is said on the internet has a place, as does personal responsibility for use of a gun or use of marijuana.  On the other hand (in addition to having opposing fingers) whose business is it what a person says on the internet.  Should there be a "5 second rule" or 5 minute or 5 day rule where, if you take it down, it never happened and no one can use it against you?  At this time, whatever you state on the internet, you just screamed from the housetop.  That's the way it is.  European privacy laws give ownership of your statements and photos to the individual.  A place to start?    
  • Paul M
    Paul M
    I'm very glad to see that Google is working with the government to help decrease criminal behavior.  On the other hand I am extremely pleased that they are sharing this information with those of us who use Google because these are issues the public needs to be aware of.  Please continue to keep us informed and hopefully the staff at Google can have some measure of influence when it comes to getting the ECPA updated.  Laws should be for the protection of law abiding citizens, not a way for law enforcement to peek into our lives without our knowledge or consent.
  • Tony T
    Tony T
    I hope as many privacy issue watchdog groups are investigating and reporting on such issues as there are civil liberty groups looking for discrimination issues.
  • Wallace B
    Wallace B
    Interesting and somewhat disturbing information regarding the rise of US government inquiries and requests. Equally disturbing are the nearly 13,000 requests from foreign governments (or are they US state and municipality inquiries? - unclear what "U.S." actually refers to: Total US inquiries or US federal inquiries.
  • John H
    John H
    It's unbelievable that we've sacrificed SO MANY of our freedoms (and our privacy) in the name of "security" after 9/11 !
  • Thomas E
    Thomas E
    It goes against the constitution. The gov officials that are passing these laws are the criminals, and should be taken to trial for their treason bearing acts. They are and have abusing the power intrusted to them by the people for the people. There is no need for force or violence just use the law the way it was intended to protect the peoples god given rights, and make those that are going against their oaths to protect those rights accountable. They know they are wrong and will use force and fear to convince us otherwise, as well as twisting the truths and using the media and propaganda convolute the truth at so many layers that its almost impossible to get the real truth.
  • Deborah V
    Deborah V
    We need to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act so it includes the newer means of communication, such as emails, cellphones, etc.
  • karine w
    karine w
    I support Google in their efforts to foster transparency, when huge government agencies are prying into the lives of people without just cause.

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