Within the last six months, state institutions have asked for user data almost 60,000 times.
The operators of the microblogging service Twitter announce that requests from state institutions for user data and deletions have increased. Within the last six months, there have been almost 60,000 requests for the disclosure of confidential data or for the deletion of content worldwide. Twitter is accusing governments of an increasingly aggressive tone. The inquiries were all brought to the company through legal channels. They come from governments, but also from local and state authorities.
USA are ahead
In most cases, the disclosure of confidential data was about access to direct messages. The location of users was also often queried. The most frequent inquiries would have come from the USA. Almost 20 percent of the inquiries came from there. Then follow India. At the same time, Twitter complains that governments are becoming increasingly aggressive in using legal tactics to expose the people behind Twitter accounts. About 40 percent of the inquiries were complied with.
Facebook has similar experiences
Deletion requests, on the other hand, came most frequently from Japan. In the second half of 2021, there were also significantly more requests from governments affecting verified accounts of journalists and news media. Meta has had similar experiences. The parent company of Instagram and Facebook was also asked to disclose private user data much more frequently.
Hardly any chance of resistance
Users themselves can do little against these requests. Accordingly, it should always be considered that all content on the Internet can also be assigned to a person.
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