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UPDATED: 27th of August, 2024

Report on Government
Requests for User Data

The Surfshark research hub analyzed user data requests that Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft received from government agencies of 190 countries over 10 years (between 2013 and 2022). While most requests relate to criminal investigations, government agencies may also request information for civil or administrative cases. As a data request can cover multiple accounts, the research examines the number of accounts specified in these requests and their global distribution per population. It also compares the number of requests disclosed partially or fully.

Governments request more user data than ever

Governments request more user data than ever. They have been requesting data from an increasing number of accounts each year, with the requests growing close to 8 times from 2013 to 2022, with 2022 experiencing an increase of around 38% from the previous year.

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Governments request more user data than ever

The US and the EU authorities request data the most. They are accounting for 58% of all accounts of interest from 2013 to 2022. Comparatively, the US requested over 2 times more accounts per 100K people than all the EU countries.

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Governments request more user data than ever

Companies have steadily increased their compliance year over year. On average, over the last 10 years there was a 65K increase in disclosed requests each year, but in 2022, the increase exceeded 100K — growing from 127K in 2013 to 712K in 2022.

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Government requests for user data continue to increase year-over-year

Each year, the number of accounts requested increases steadily. It has grown almost 8 times from 2013 to 2022, with a 38% increase observed in 2022 compared to the year before. Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Israel, India, Mexico, Poland, and the US also show a steady year-over-year increase in the count of requested accounts.

In 2022, the number of requested accounts experienced the most significant year-over-year increase of 38%, going from 1.6M to 2.2M. This increase does not come as a surprise since 2022 set a record for the number of governments, totaling 147, that requested user data. For comparison, in 2021, 140 governments submitted requests for user data.

On a company level, in 2022, Apple experienced the highest increase in account requests, with a 479% surge. From 2013 to 2022, authorities showed the most interest in accounts hosted by Meta among the four companies, totaling 3.6M or 41% of the 8.9M accounts requested during this period. In contrast, Apple’s accounts constituted the smallest fraction requested, with 853.7K accounts or just 10% of the total accounts of interest to the authorities.

Requests for account data

The heatmap shows the total number of accounts specified in user data requests (per 100,000 people) each country’s government institution submitted from 2013 to 2022. 

8,851,344 Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft received user data requests for this number of accounts from 190 countries from 2013 to 2022.
2,225,291 in 2022 alone, user data requests affected this number of accounts, constituting 25% of the 10-year total.
3,338,876 US authorities requested user data for this number of accounts from 2013 to 2022, making up nearly 38% of the total account requests.

The US and the EU governments request user data the most

The US led the list with 1 account per 100 people throughout 2013-2022. In the top 10 countries, the EU contributed 5 (Germany, France, Ireland, Portugal, and Belgium), while the US, Singapore, the UK, South Korea, and Brazil made up the remainder.

Countries with a population of less than 1M were not included in the ranking.

Country Population
(2021)		 Accounts specified in requests
(2013-2021)		 Accounts per 100k population
(2013-2021)		 Region
1. US 337,499,479 3,338,876 989.3 Northern America
2. Germany 83,426,789 709,411 850.3 Western Europe
3. Singapore 5,955,901 41,460 696.1 South-eastern Asia
4. UK 67,394,305 453,176 672.4 Northern Europe
5. France 64,560,542 397,802 616.2 Western Europe
6. Ireland 5,005,888 28,361 566.6 Northern Europe
7. South Korea 51,829,025 215,125 415.1 Eastern Asia
8. Portugal 10,282,222 42,637 414.7 Southern Europe
9. Brazil 214,824,774 838,289 390.2 Latin America and the Caribbean
10. Belgium 11,640,679 44,408 381.5 Western Europe
11. Estonia 1,327,600 4,949 372.8 Northern Europe
12. Australia 26,046,256 96,342 369.9 Australia and New Zealand
13. Taiwan 23,877,791 88,159 369.2 Eastern Asia
14. Poland 38,236,684 138,236 361.5 Eastern Europe
15. Switzerland 8,712,018 30,411 349.1 Western Europe
16. Israel 8,970,733 29,177 325.2 Western Asia
17. Sweden 10,517,669 29,831 283.6 Northern Europe
18. Italy 59,119,400 137,958 233.4 Southern Europe
19. Norway 5,414,319 12,517 231.2 Northern Europe
20. Spain 47,576,210 108,727 228.5 Southern Europe
21. Lithuania 2,768,668 6,096 220.2 Northern Europe
22. Austria 8,929,716 19,150 214.5 Western Europe
23. Netherlands 17,536,553 37,512 213.9 Western Europe
24. Greece 10,409,612 20,335 195.3 Southern Europe
25. Turkey 85,091,633 143,788 169 Western Asia
26. Argentina 45,389,937 75,887 167.2 Latin America and the Caribbean
27. Canada 38,290,846 55,542 145.1 Northern America
28. Finland 5,538,263 7,722 139.4 Northern Europe
29. New Zealand 5,163,684 7,184 139.1 Australia and New Zealand
30. Hong Kong 7,489,149 10,032 134 Eastern Asia
31. Hungary 9,688,547 12,894 133.1 Eastern Europe
32. Czechia 10,497,505 13,852 132 Eastern Europe
33. Chile 19,592,428 20,271 103.5 Latin America and the Caribbean
34. Denmark 5,867,977 5,532 94.3 Northern Europe
35. India 1,412,319,817 1,261,188 89.3 Southern Asia
36. North Macedonia 2,098,541 1,785 85.1 Southern Europe
37. Serbia 7,261,591 4,824 66.4 Southern Europe
38. Latvia 1,860,978 1,125 60.5 Northern Europe
39. Slovenia 2,119,789 1,281 60.4 Southern Europe
40. Mexico 127,024,134 76,351 60.1 Latin America and the Caribbean
41. Croatia 4,041,171 2,273 56.2 Southern Europe
42. Romania 19,262,773 9,711 50.4 Eastern Europe
43. Colombia 51,788,827 23,073 44.6 Latin America and the Caribbean
44. Jordan 11,256,190 4,895 43.5 Western Asia
45. Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,246,045 1,393 42.9 Southern Europe
46. Guatemala 17,722,702 7,249 40.9 Latin America and the Caribbean
47. Kosovo 1,657,760 615 37.1 Southern Europe
48. Costa Rica 5,167,063 1,732 33.5 Latin America and the Caribbean
49. Cyprus 1,247,080 412 33 Western Asia
50. Ecuador 17,905,446 5,644 31.5 Latin America and the Caribbean
51. Dominican Republic 11,175,767 3,097 27.7 Latin America and the Caribbean
52. Japan 124,278,310 29,979 24.1 Eastern Asia
53. Slovakia 5,439,435 1,264 23.2 Eastern Europe
54. Uruguay 3,422,617 787 23 Latin America and the Caribbean
55. Albania 2,847,853 581 20.4 Southern Europe
56. Nepal 30,371,951 4,915 16.2 Southern Asia
57. Moldova 3,048,343 488 16 Eastern Europe
58. Bulgaria 6,833,621 1,065 15.6 Eastern Europe
59. Armenia 2,783,226 406 14.6 Western Asia
60. Peru 33,911,712 4,684 13.8 Latin America and the Caribbean
61. Georgia 3,753,319 472 12.6 Western Asia
62. Pakistan 233,523,612 28,747 12.3 Southern Asia
63. Panama 4,379,282 523 11.9 Latin America and the Caribbean
64. Paraguay 6,743,247 599 8.9 Latin America and the Caribbean
65. Russia 144,732,516 11,320 7.8 Eastern Europe
66. Morocco 37,264,469 2,828 7.6 Northern Africa
67. Sri Lanka 21,799,884 1,536 7 Southern Asia
68. China 1,425,925,386 95,643 6.7 Eastern Asia
69. Mongolia 3,373,358 218 6.5 Eastern Asia
70. El Salvador 6,323,795 392 6.2 Latin America and the Caribbean
71. Malaysia 33,751,399 1,622 4.8 South-eastern Asia
72. Ukraine 43,334,204 2,039 4.7 Eastern Europe
73. UAE 9,403,261 432 4.6 Western Asia
74. Kuwait 4,247,700 171 4 Western Asia
75. Qatar 2,684,330 96 3.6 Western Asia
76. Bangladesh 170,297,594 6,055 3.6 Southern Asia
77. Thailand 71,640,251 2,277 3.2 South-eastern Asia
78. Azerbaijan 10,329,610 228 2.2 Western Asia
79. Lebanon 5,553,937 112 2 Western Asia
80. Belarus 9,549,898 178 1.9 Eastern Europe
81. Palestine 5,189,966 89 1.7 Western Asia
82. Bahrain 1,465,626 22 1.5 Western Asia
83. Trinidad and Tobago 1,528,932 22 1.4 Latin America and the Caribbean
84. Eswatini 1,197,454 14 1.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
85. Indonesia 274,616,289 3,100 1.1 South-eastern Asia
86. Honduras 10,354,955 116 1.1 Latin America and the Caribbean
87. Oman 4,543,281 47 1 Western Asia
88. Botswana 2,607,583 26 1 Sub-Saharan Africa
89. Tunisia 12,308,697 111 0.9 Northern Africa
90. Kazakhstan 19,295,502 147 0.8 Central Asia
91. Venezuela 28,047,658 202 0.7 Latin America and the Caribbean
92. South Africa 59,646,800 423 0.7 Sub-Saharan Africa
93. Philippines 114,666,324 691 0.6 South-eastern Asia
94. Kenya 53,499,879 318 0.6 Sub-Saharan Africa
95. Ivory Coast 27,810,491 162 0.6 Sub-Saharan Africa
96. Mauritius 1,299,134 7 0.5 Sub-Saharan Africa
97. Iraq 43,996,169 232 0.5 Western Asia
98. Sudan 46,261,499 187 0.4 Northern Africa
99. Bolivia 12,148,966 48 0.4 Latin America and the Caribbean
100. Jamaica 2,828,991 11 0.4 Latin America and the Caribbean
101. Senegal 17,096,667 56 0.3 Sub-Saharan Africa
102. Puerto Rico 3,249,144 9 0.3 Latin America and the Caribbean
103. Madagascar 29,260,083 69 0.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
104. Sierra Leone 8,513,550 19 0.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
105. Nigeria 215,928,431 477 0.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
106. Malawi 20,146,243 40 0.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
107. Ghana 33,154,506 57 0.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
108. Timor-Leste 1,331,648 2 0.1 South-eastern Asia
109. Nicaragua 6,898,994 10 0.1 Latin America and the Caribbean
110. Saudi Arabia 36,136,551 50 0.1 Western Asia
111. Namibia 2,549,182 3 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
112. Vietnam 97,842,283 105 0.1 South-eastern Asia
113. Egypt 110,132,806 112 0.1 Northern Africa
114. Cambodia 16,680,606 16 0.1 South-eastern Asia
115. Zambia 19,745,738 18 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
116. Djibouti 1,113,147 1 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
117. Burkina Faso 22,388,008 20 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
118. Algeria 44,543,592 39 0.1 Northern Africa
119. Benin 13,174,363 11 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
120. Papua New Guinea 10,048,412 6 0.1 Melanesia
121. Togo 8,746,734 5 0.1 Sub-Saharan Africa
122. Iran 88,256,642 45 0.1 Southern Asia
123. Uzbekistan 34,353,048 17 0 Central Asia
124. Lesotho 2,294,313 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
124. Rwanda 13,618,383 6 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
126. Guinea 13,695,093 5 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
127. Cameroon 27,552,212 9 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
128. Uganda 46,584,197 15 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
129. Libya 6,774,698 2 0 Northern Africa
129. Afghanistan 40,580,490 12 0 Southern Asia
131. Congo DR 97,413,858 22 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
132. Tajikistan 9,856,531 2 0 Central Asia
133. Myanmar 53,977,744 10 0 South-eastern Asia
133. Liberia 5,245,853 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
135. Mozambique 32,518,418 6 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
136. Turkmenistan 6,387,200 1 0 Central Asia
137. Mali 22,248,667 3 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
138. South Sudan 10,829,532 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
139. North Korea 26,022,117 2 0 Eastern Asia
140. Chad 17,449,262 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
140. Tanzania 64,539,598 4 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
140. Angola 35,049,572 2 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
140. Somalia 17,329,992 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
144. Syria 21,589,586 1 0 Western Asia
145. Niger 25,719,857 1 0 Sub-Saharan Africa
146. Yemen 33,322,321 1 0 Western Asia

Companies submit user data for the majority of requests

Between 2013 and 2022, companies complied with user data requests at an average rate of 72%. Over the years, the compliance rate (partial or full disclosure) with user data requests ranged from 66% in 2015 to 77% in 2022. Apple complied with government requests the most and submitted user data for around 82.0% of requests, while Microsoft complied the least, with a rate of 67%.

Company-level disclosure rate

Apple
Since 2013, 90 governments have submitted requests for user data. Apple has maintained the highest rate of disclosure since 2016, increasing it from 76% in 2016 to 86% in 2021. Although the disclosure rates of other companies increased in 2022, Apple's rate experienced a decline, dropping to 83%. The US have submitted more than half (58%) of all the requests that Apple has complied with.
Google
Since 2013, 140 governments have submitted requests for user data. Until 2016, Google’s disclosure rate decreased, but then it started to climb by a few percentage points yearly. It reached its peak at 79% in 2022, making Google the 2nd highest in disclosures behind Apple that year.
Meta
Since 2013, 177 governments have submitted requests for user data. Meta disclosed over 76% of the requested information in 2022, marking a 4% points increase from 2021. This places the company right behind Google.
Microsoft
Since 2013, 93 governments have submitted requests for user data. Microsoft’s disclosure rate has been decreasing throughout the nine-year period, yet it saw an increase of 5% points in 2022. This increase is the largest among the companies analyzed so far. Despite this, Microsoft remains the company that discloses the least user information.

Methodology

The Report on Government Requests for User Data uses information from transparency reports that four major tech companies — Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft — have published. Amazon, while also part of the “Big Five,” is not included in the study due to its inconsistent or absent reporting on user data disclosure practices. The study highlights that government agencies from 190 countries have requested user data from these companies between 2013 and 2022.

The collected data was aggregated and analyzed in five major categories:

  • User data requests received
  • Partially or fully disclosed requests
  • Percentages of disclosed requests
  • Accounts specified within these requests
  • Requested accounts per 100,000 people in each country

We excluded the countries with less than 1M people from the ranking because these countries often stand out as outliers in global distribution per population metrics due to their small population numbers. Excluding countries and territories with smaller populations than 1M does not significantly impact global statistics, as such countries account for less than 1% of the global population.

Full research material and notes on company-level data

Download all charts and visuals

Data sources:

Population data
Transparency reports:
Meta Google Microsoft Apple
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