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Government Data Requests To Facebook Up By 24%

davidshenba writes: Facebook has revealed that government requests for user data has increased by 24% to nearly 35,000 during the first six months of the year. Also content restrictions due to local laws increased by 19% in the same period. According to Facebook, they scrutinize every government request for legal sufficiency and "push back hard when we find deficiencies or are served with overly broad requests." Already Facebook is fighting its largest ever legal battle against a U.S. court order to handover 400 users' data.

42 comments

  1. I don't care about the breadth of data requests... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I care about requests not served with an appropriate judge-signed warrant.

    You're "Secure in your effects" unless someone happens to ask a corporation that's too willing to comply. Then oops. There they go.

  2. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No sympathy here for anyone who has a Facebook acct.

  3. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by TWX · · Score: 1

    Unless one of those FBI letters that the company isn't allowed to disclose and isn't really allowed to not comply with is sent.

    Pay attention to your elected officials. They determine the laws, and from their pool the powerful elected officials come from, who ultimately pick the judges that decide on these sorts of things.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  4. I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I will never have Facebook. I have lost friends because of this (they won't call me to invite me to things and insist on using facebook) but I have made more than enough new ones at my local Linux Users Group

    1. Re:I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for sharing, but no one gives a shit. Thanks.

    2. Re:I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The government does give a shit about getting my personal data. Unfortunately for them it is not online and is encrypted.

    3. Re:I will never have Facebook by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Friends don't let friends use Facebook.

    4. Re: I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously? Fuck you.

      Signed, another person who's lost friends because of Facebook.

    5. Re:I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He would be but he doesn't get invited for some reason...

    6. Re: I will never have Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pro tip: they weren't your friends to begin with. And no, I really don't care about your personal shortcomings. Sorry.

  5. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by i+kan+reed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sure. That's fine. I don't have one.

    But... um... sympathy isn't the point. Universality of constitutional protections is the point.

  6. Vengence by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    It's important to find out who the 'traitors' are that stole the ring and voted republican...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  7. It's for your protection. by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So how many of you have written your congress-critter and demanded they work to repeal the bad laws passed that are facilitating this?

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:It's for your protection. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So how many of you have written your congress-critter and demanded they work to repeal the bad laws passed that are facilitating this?

      vs how many have tried in the past only to get sympathetic responses that outline how they are still resolute to do the exact opposite?

    2. Re:It's for your protection. by LessThanObvious · · Score: 1

      ...and please make it a thoughtful and respectful hand written letter. From what I hear those actually get more attention. Then of course many politicians are actually starting to pay a lot of attention to Twitter.

    3. Re:It's for your protection. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      So how many of you have written your congress-critter and demanded they work to repeal the bad laws passed that are facilitating this?

      Which bad laws? Be specific.

      Seriously, anyone who didn't see an increase in requests to Facebook coming has been living in a cave - and it has nothing to do with bad laws. It has everything to do with Facebook increasingly becoming a repository for people's lives, and those repositories have *always* been available to law enforcement. We want them to catch the bad guys, and if the bad guys are communicating on Facebook and storing evidence of their misdeeds there.... we want law enforcement to have access to that information the same as we want law enforcement to have access to their credit card records, houses, and automobiles. The ability of law enforcement to do so is basic to them doing the job the public charges them with.

      We don't want "on a computer" to become an excuse for creating a crime - but we also don't want "on a computer" to become an excuse for hiding evidence of a crime either. What we should want isn't to keep law enforcement off of Facebook, but rather to stop fishing expeditions and keep them from infringing on the rights of innocents. To maintain that narrow path that allows law enforcement to do the task required of them, but keeps them from exceeding those bounds.

    4. Re:It's for your protection. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you are ok with the Feds checking under your beds for terrorists. We will be over while you are gone to check.

      If you dont have a JUDGE SIGNED WARRANT. People that dont support forcing law enforcement to follow the proper protocols are enemies of the United states.

      Why are you an enemy of the people?

    5. Re:It's for your protection. by x_t0ken_407 · · Score: 1

      Sure we want all that, when due process is followed. I.e., a judge must have signed a warrant for access to that information. It doesn't (or shouldn't) somehow change just because it's Facebook, or whatever other online entity. That's the issue...which you touched on in your second paragraph. Not sure who you're preaching to with the first paragraph...

  8. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    Pay attention to your elected officials.

    I believe such things should be said before election day. Read the results and weep...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  9. Digital Landlord? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

    FTA

    The ruling defined Facebook as a "digital landlord".

    Last time I checked, landlords charge tenants money. Since Facebook users don't pay for the service in any recognized currency, (and somehow I doubt privacy is recognized as a barterable thing), how can Facebook be a landlord?

    The attempt to treat Facebook servers as the equivalent of physical premises is disturbing. Judicial over-reach, much?

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    1. Re:Digital Landlord? by ripvlan · · Score: 1

      I read that too with some surprise. I don't agree with your definition of landlord and tenants - that payment must exchanged from the customer. First - define who the customer is. A Landlord simply owns the property, who then rents or leases it - in this case the advertisers pay your rent. Although another way to look at it is like a grocery store where the advertisers pay for shelf space and "we" the public browse for content? Stores don't stock the food - the advertisers do. The shelves are rented - so that you the customer can enter for free and make purchases.

      As for the physical premises comment. We may use the term "the cloud" - but the cloud is a physical thing for which FB does indeed own. More interesting is "where" the cloud is and whether such data is available to US warrants.

      This thing, the cloud, is new and I think maybe this is yet another case of technology moving faster than law can.

  10. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    I should add that between democrats and republican, it makes no difference. So please, save it for somebody who believes that shit. The only thing to lament is that there are NO independents in the House and only two in the senate, and that reelection rates remain steady.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  11. I believe them by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    I'd also fight tooth and nail if I was to hand over for free what I usually sell for good money!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. The signs were there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think anyone still using Facebook at this point has less than stellar intelligence.

  13. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But how long can we still be without one? Suuuure, nobody can force you to have one. But more and more companies rely on FB for more and more things. It used to be that you have to have some FB account to participate in some raffles. Ok, no biggie. I can do without winning something I never needed. But more and more rely on them for authentication. And that's when it starts to become inconvenient.

    Or at the very least more expensive. Because companies that can cut corners by "outsourcing" some of their cost to FB will be able to offer their gadgets cheaper. And that in turn will mean that privacy will become more and more a luxury item, for people that can afford it.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  14. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by mlts · · Score: 1

    One tenant that should apply to FB: Don't put anything on there, be it in a private message, on a wall, on a group... anywhere that you don't want every LEO in the world to know, as well as your worst enemy.

    If one needs to message in private, there are secured end to end ways to do this. Even AIM has point to point SSL. Of course, there is E-mail and PGP or S/MIME.

  15. Fascistbook ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I suggest they rename it to Fascistbook.

    Because it seems to be the biggest target of the assholes who don't give a damn about our laws.

    And people in America stand by and thing "but they're keeping us safe from terrorists".

    You don't deserve to be safe if you think this is how you do it.

    1. Re:Fascistbook ... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      http://fascistbook.com/ is already taken, but there's no website on it as of this writing.

  16. Why are you still using Facebook? by koan · · Score: 1

    You're hurting the World.

    --
    "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
  17. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    One tenant

    Tenet. Seriously, the word is tenet.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  18. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I believe such things should be said before election day. Read the results and weep...

    Unless you voted Libertarian, SHUT THE FUCK UP.

  19. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by mlts · · Score: 2

    That is a point that bothers me. FB is kind enough to allow others to authenticate from them, and they have very good security... but if I were running a business and needed some way to ensure customers were properly authenticated, I'd rather have a commercial entity that could give me some assurance that measures (at least PCI-DSS3 standards) were being followed.

    My preference would be smaller social networks with a standard of interlinking, so events, calenders, posts, and private messages could go from social network "A" to social network "B". This way, not all eggs are in one basket.

    An even better preference would be to perhaps reuse existing protocols. For private messages, XMPP comes to mind. For longer, async messages, good old fashoned E-mail. Discussions? Web forums, or NNTP. Real-time text conferences? IRC.

    Of course, people want a "one stop shop", so even though older Internet protocols might be the best solution, having many social networks interconnected is better than what we have now.

  20. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by mlts · · Score: 1

    Thanks. I don't think we have people physically dwelling in something FB-owned yet.

  21. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
    Yet another reason not to be on Facebook.

    I've never had an account there, nor twitter, etc.

    I've found it hasn't impacted my life in any negative way.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  22. Editors, please! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Already Facebook is fighting its largest ever legal battle against a U.S. court order to handover 400 users' data

    It's “hand over,” not “handover.”

    Illiterate editors asleep at the wheel again...

  23. I expect this will end in January by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Now that the Republicans control both houses of congress, I feel certain they will set things right and shut this down.

    1. Re:I expect this will end in January by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      That's right... Everybody should just relax. The emperor has been castrated, and the rule of law will once again return to this great land of ours. We took back America! All Hail! Ted Cruz/Pat Robertson 2016!

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:I expect this will end in January by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... they will set things right and shut this down ...

      The republicans are already promising 'small government' but we know that as soon as they cripple Obama care, the defense contracts will pour out of the pork barrel.

      Let's see: Politician promises more change than usual. Citizens choose politician. Politician does nothing (OK, one good thing). Citizens get pissed-off. Citizens choose politician again. Politician does nothing again. Citizens give opposing politician 'carte blanche' to fuck-up the budget.

      Citizens should have changed their leader ASAP, not loiter until they give a new politician more power: But people say "it's not that bad" or "he might change" or "party loyalty".

    3. Re:I expect this will end in January by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not a USA fan but it isn't hard to do a little research and understand that the lack of change Obama performed wasn't because he didn't try. The President doesn't have much power in the USA, this has good and bad points. Look to Africa to see what happens when an elected leader actually has real power, some horrifying but also amazingly progressive effects from just one person.

    4. Re:I expect this will end in January by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do not like them, but as longs as they help taking down that damn monkey...

  24. Re:I don't care about the breadth of data requests by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't have a Facebook account. But I know a lot of people who do. And they have my email address and have tagged me in photos. So there is the shadow account I have on Facebook that I have no control over. So considering that, how does Facebook handle requests for people who exist vicariously in their data pile?