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Twitter discloses two far-reaching FBI data requests
Twitter is joining in the recent trend of tech companies disclosing FBI data requests after gag orders have lifted... and the news isn't exactly comforting. The social network has revealed that two National Security Letters sent in 2015 and 2016 asked the company for electronic communication transaction records that could include sensitive internet data. The company denied most of the demands, but the very nature of the requests is the problem -- they suggest that the FBI was pushing past the guidelines set by a 2008 Justice Department memo, which limited these orders to phone billing records.
Cloudflare's transparency report reveals secret FBI subpoena
Tech titans like Google and Apple aren't the only ones that receive government requests for customer information -- lesser-known companies like Cloudflare get them, as well. The service, which makes websites load faster, has revealed that it's been fighting a national security letter (NSL) from the FBI since 2013 in its latest transparency report. NSLs are subpoenas the government hands out when it wants to gather information for national security purposes. It also comes with a gag order, which is why the company wasn't able to include the information in previous transparency reports.
Google begins releasing its secret FBI subpoenas
Back in October, Google stated that the FBI lifted a gag order, allowing them to officially disclose they'd been served one National Security Letter (NSL), a type of secret subpoena, by the FBI. This was news because every company is restricted from revealing more than a very broad range of NSLs it has received. But a 2015 Congressional act requires the government to periodically check whether each request's non-disclosure agreement is still necessary. After several of these limits were lifted, today Google confirmed and released several NSL requests to shed light on what kind of user information the FBI requests in the name of national security.
The FBI served Google with a secret subpoena
Tucked into Google's latest bi-annual transparency report, the search behemoth quietly revealed that it received a secret subpoena from the FBI sometime during the first half of 2015. While the subpoena itself wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary, what's troubling is the fact that it was accompanied by a gag order that prevented Google from revealing publicly that the government came knocking.
Reddit probably got subpoena'd by the FBI or NSA
When companies receive National Security Letters (NSLs) from the FBI or a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) request from the NSA, they also get a gag order barring them from telling anyone. There is one way that websites can inform users that they've been subpoena'd without breaking the law, though: Using a "warrant canary." Those are simply statements in transparent reports that indicate a site has not received a letter since a certain date. Reddit had one in its 2014 report (below), meaning it had never received a subpoena as of January 29th, 2015. Last year's report, released yesterday, includes no such remark, meaning that the company did indeed receive the dreaded letter sometime last year.
ISP wins 11-year battle to reveal warrantless FBI spying
A US district court has struck down an 11-year-old gag order imposed by the FBI on Nicolas Merrill, the former head of a small internet service provider. Originally issued in 2004, it forbade Merrill from revealing that he'd received a so-called national security letter (NSL), a warrantless demand for customer data. The Electronic Frontier Foundation believes about 300,000 such letters have been sent since the Patriot Act was enacted in 2001, but the decision signals the first time that a gag order has been lifted. "Courts cannot, consistent with the First Amendment, simply cannot accept the Government's assertions that disclosure would... create a (public) risk," said Judge Victor Marrero.
Microsoft wins case to block FBI request for customer data
When Microsoft said last year that it's committed to protecting its customers from government data requests, it wasn't messing around. Microsoft general counsel and executive VP Brad Smith recently revealed that the software giant successfully challenged an FBI National Security Letter that tried to seek basic information from one of its enterprise customers. The letter apparently had a nondisclosure provision that would've prevented Microsoft from telling the customer in question about the request. Microsoft challenged that provision in Seattle's Federal Court, stating that it was "unlawful and violated our Constitutional right to free expression," and wouldn't you know it, the FBI withdrew the letter. Smith said in a blog post that such requests are rare, but it's still good to know the Redmond company is continuing to do what it can to be transparent about such things -- even if it knew about them all along.
Comcast's first transparency report reveals over 25,000 government data requests
Comcast must not want to feel left out as telcos begin publishing regular government data request statistics -- the cable giant has just posted its first transparency report. The document reveals that Comcast obeyed more than 25,000 government demands for info during 2013, including 24,698 criminal requests (such as warrants) and 961 emergency requests. There isn't as much detail for national security requests due to federal rules, but the report shows that Comcast isn't under quite as much scrutiny as its peers. The provider received less than 1,000 national security letters last year, while Verizon reported between 1,000 and 1,999; AT&T says it got between 2,000 and 2,999. The differences aren't surprising when Comcast has no cellular customers these days. However, those numbers are bound to grow if Comcast succeeds in buying Time Warner Cable.
Apple says it received less than 250 National Security Orders in the first half of 2013
Following the terms of an agreement announced today between government agencies and a number of tech companies, Apple has released an updated report on National Security and Law Enforcement requests. Current through June 30th, 2013, it updates the data released last November and in June by breaking out the number of National Security Orders, which falls somewhere in the range between 0 and 250, "regardless of geography." Apple stated it had not received any requests for bulk data collection -- mentioning once again that personal conversations over iMessage and Facetime are encrypted -- echoing statements by CEO Tim Cook this weekend that it does not provide the government a backdoor to its servers. The other data it can now reveal includes exact numbers for account information requests by law enforcement. That includes 2,330 accounts specified in requests, which resulted in information being disclosed for 747 accounts. All in all, the numbers and ranges support claims by the industry that the amount of data requested is very small, but as we've learned, the NSA isn't always concerned with asking about how to get what it wants from accounts, networks and/or mobile devices.
Verizon to publish regular reports on government data requests
Numerous tech giants have been eager to publish what they can about government data requests, but telecoms haven't been so forthcoming. Verizon is breaking some ground, though, with plans to publish semi-annual transparency reports starting in early 2014. While the reports will mostly reflect information that the carrier has already been publishing in some form, the data will be more accessible and consistent than before. Much like Google, Verizon plans to break down requests by type, such as court orders and warrants. It's also asking the government if it can be more precise with the number of National Security Letters it received last year. Although it's doubtful that the reports will reveal everything that the public would like to know, they represent a big step forward for a communications industry that many believe is too eager to cooperate with government eavesdroppers.
Google Transparency Report now includes the FBI's National Security Letters
Google's Transparency Report has sometimes supplied an unsettling level of detail as to what companies and governments want to know. Americans won't feel much more comfortable now that Google has added the FBI's National Security Letters to the mix. The investigative branch wants the numbers vague for secrecy's sake, but curious residents at least have access to annual data that shows the range of requests for information and roughly how many users were affected -- in this case, about 1,000 to 2,000 Google account holders every year since 2009. Google is quick to note that it does what it can to narrow the scope of requests and require search warrants for anything private. We're slightly reassured by that extra line of defense, although the Transparency Report's addition is still a reminder that the government is watching some of us.
