Compliance Management, Privacy

Newest Yahoo transparency report indicates uptick in U.S. gov’t data requests

Following in the footprints of the prior reporting period, the United States again made the highest number of requests for Yahoo user data.

The company's most recent transparency report, spanning the first six months of 2015, details the 5,221 requests the U.S. government made for data. These requests pertained to 8,424 accounts. Comparatively, U.S. authorities filed 4,865 requests during the last six months of 2014, which impacted 9,752 accounts.

At least some information was shared for 4,432 requests, and the majority of those requests, 3,174 of them, only had non-content data shared, or basic subscriber information.

Taiwan trailed the U.S.'s total request count with 2,624 filed. Germany came in third with 1,859 requests.

Although the company is limited in terms of what it can report on National Security Letters (NSLs), the company said it received between zero and 999 letters. NSLs only can be reported in these specified bands.

Removal requests were only made in India, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In both India and Ireland, the compliance rate was zero percent, but in the U.K., it was 50 percent.

The company also reportedly received 227 global emergency disclosure requests, which happen when governments seek information in emergency situations, such as an Amber Alert or any situation that could involve danger of death or serious physical injury. Sixty-three percent of those requests were followed.

Earlier this month, a man received the first approval to disclose the details of his NSL. While most NSLs come accompanied with a gag order, in Nicholas Merrill's case, he will now have his gag order lifted. He received the NSL 11 years ago.

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