Apple reports most national security orders ever this year – CNET


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Apple reports most national security orders ever this year

In Apple’s biannual transparency report, classified demands from the government more than tripled since 2016.

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Apple reported more than 13,000 national security requests in 2017. That’s more than triple the amount of requests from last year.

James Martin/CNET

The US government set a new record for Apple, by submitting more national security requests than ever before reported.

Apple released its biannual transparency report on Thursday, which details how frequently it gets requests for customer data from governments and private parties. With more than a billion iOS devices active around the world, governments are increasingly looking to Apple and its technology to gain information about people.

In the first half of 2017, from Jan. 1 to June 30, Apple received 13,250-13,499 national security requests from the US government, according to the report. The demands affected between 9,000 and 9,249 people using Apple’s devices, according to the report.

That’s more than double the number of requests Apple reported for the last half of 2016. And it’s triple the amount of requests from the first half of last year. During this same time period in 2016, Apple received 2,750 to 2,999 national security orders

This is the most national security orders Apple has ever reported. The reporting period covers former President Barack Obama‘s last 20 days in office, and the first 160 days of President Donald Trump‘s administration. It’s unclear how many requests came from each administration. So far this year, Apple has complied with 70 percent of the requests. 

The Justice Department declined to comment on the number of increased national security requests.

Apple reports national security requests in bands of 250. These requests include orders received under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and national security letters, which don’t need a judge’s approval because they’re issued by the FBI. The company says it would like to be more specific but can’t because of legal restrictions.

“By law, this is the most precise information we are currently allowed to disclose,” Apple said in the report.

Requests from law enforcement also increased. Apple disclosed that it received 30,814 demands for 233,052 devices worldwide. That’s 630 more requests than from Apple’s report on the latter half of last year, but less than the 33,006 devices requested from one year ago.

Sometimes, these requests from law enforcement can be when police are trying to track down lost or stolen devices, Apple noted in its report.

Update, 10:38 a.m. PT: The Justice Department declined to comment.

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