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| In most cases, Apple shares customer information with the government |
Apple has released a new, semi-annual report on transparency that includes the number and type of governments the company receives worldwide, as well as special requests for customer information. The company said that it had received 3,619 from the US government in the first half of 2019. The number of account requests decreased by 36% compared to the previous six months.
According to the company, account requests sent when law enforcement officers are suspected of illegal activity, usually search for customer account details (such as name and address) in iTunes or iCloud, and sometimes iCloud content (such as saved) photos, emails, and backup) On your iOS device, your contacts, or your calendar.
Apple provided the government with at least 90 percent of related account information, after 88 percent in the previous period, and the iPhone maker said the information included more than 15,301 customer accounts, another record.
The report comes as Apple is struggling to manage President Donald Trump's privacy and public security. The conflict resurfaced this week after the company refused to help the FBI in a major accident by refusing to help the FBI to decrypt an armed iPhone.
Prosecutor William Barr has accused Apple and other technology companies of not doing their best to help law enforcement in their investigations, and Barr is very disappointed that Apple is refusing to create a back door to allow managers to access the encrypted access information that is stored on the device. customers.
However, Apple's Transparency Report states that the company generally responds to government requests for information. Some FBI officials are said to have assisted Apple in this latest case, claiming that Apple has provided substantial help.
The company defended the use of its encryption technology and stated in a statement that law enforcement has more access to data than ever before, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening the technology. We firmly believe that encryption is necessary to protect our country and user data.
The Apple-Government conflict has once again grabbed the attention of data protection advocates who fear the creation of back doors is a threat to public security, while security experts believe the government has been able to access encrypted devices without Apple's assistance.