Transparency

Government data requests

Like most services, we sometimes receive requests from governments seeking information about our users. You deserve to know how often this happens. So twice per year we publish a transparency report detailing how many government data requests we receive. We were one of the first companies to publish a transparency report and are committed to continuing to publish this important information.

We’ve also created Government Data Requests Principles describing how we handle the requests we receive and how we’ll work to try to reform the laws to make them more protective of your privacy. We’ll abide by the following principles when receiving, scrutinizing, and responding to government requests for our users’ data.

• Be transparent. Online services should be allowed to report the exact number of government data requests received, the number of accounts affected by those requests, and the laws used to justify the requests. We’ll continue to advocate for the right to provide this important information.
• Fight blanket requests. Government data requests should be limited to specific people and investigations. We’ll resist requests directed to large groups of people or that seek information unrelated to a specific investigation.
• Protect all users. Laws authorizing governments to request user data from online services shouldn’t treat people differently based on their citizenship or where they live. We’ll work hard to reform these laws.
• Provide trusted services. Governments should never install backdoors into online services or compromise infrastructure to obtain user data. We’ll continue to work to protect our systems and to change laws to make it clear that this type of activity is illegal.

Please visit our Government Request Principles and Transparency Report for more detailed information.