Tech giants ask 21 countries to release surveillance data

{mosads}The Global Network Initiative – which includes Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo – said in letters to the members of the Freedom Online Coalition that governments should release and allow tech companies to release information on the law enforcement and national security requests for electronic communication the firms receive, the group said Thursday.

The Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 21 countries working to advance Internet freedom, includes the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which have received heavy criticism over their national surveillance programs.

Of the 21 countries in the coalition, Google’s most recent Transparency Report – which covers the second half of 2012 — has information on seven governments’ requests to the search giant for user data.

The U.K., Germany and France issued 1,485, 1,550 and 1,693 requests, respectively, to Google. The Czech Republic, Canada and Mexico issued 51, 77 and 90 requests, respectively.

The U.S. issued 8,438 requests for Google user data in the second half of 2012.

Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Yahoo have brought cases against the U.S. government, asking for the ability to publish aggregate data on national security requests for user data they receive.