For the first time, Apple has published the number of requests it’s received from governments to take down apps from its app store.
In its latest transparency report published Tuesday, the tech giant said it received 80 requests from 11 countries to remove 634 apps from its localized app stores during July 1 and December 31, 2018.
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The tech giant also for the first time posted several national security lettersit received permission to publish.
You can take a deep look at these requests here.
From Apple:
Apple receives various forms of legal requests seeking information from or actions by Apple. We receive requests from governments globally where we operate and from private parties.
Government request circumstances can vary from instances where law enforcement agencies are working on behalf of customers who have requested assistance regarding lost or stolen devices, to instances where law enforcement are working on behalf of customers who suspect their credit card has been used fraudulently to purchase Apple products or services, to instances where an account is suspected to have been used unlawfully. Requests can also seek to preserve an Apple account, restrict access to an Apple account or delete an Apple account. Additionally, requests can relate to emergency situations where there is imminent harm to the safety of any person.
More data:
- Apple received 29,183 demands from governments — down 10 percent on the last reporting period — to access 213,737 devices.
- Germany issued 12,343 requests for 19,380 devices.
- U.S. sent 4,680 demands for 19,318 devices.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple continues its attempt to reach a strong balance between transparency for its users and the need to work with government and law enforcement.
How come we’re not seeing something like this from Google or Facebook?…nvm.