Her Majesty’s Government is an enthusiastic scrutiniser of Facebook – and we you didn’t even know you’re on its ‘Friends’ list.
In Facebook’s latest statement on requests from Police and state authorities around the world for information about its users, the UK came in nine per cent of all the 78,890 demands it logged in the first half of 2017 alone.
Requests for account data increased by 21% globally compared to the second half of 2016, from 64,279 to the new 78,890 high.
The company says that it coughed up “some or all” details for 90% of the 6,845 requests Whitehall and British law enforcement made in the period.
Sounds high – but needs to be put into context: the US is by far the biggest snoop on how many cat videos you liked, at 57% of all data demands (and was already 50% for the same period last year).
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The company also revealed details on how many times it took down posts on demand: from 6,944 to 28,036, a huge leap but most of that was from one request from Mexican cops, who wanted video of a school shooting restricted.
In a statement about the transparency report on its website, the company said that it will “continue to carefully scrutinize each request we receive for account data — whether from an authority in the US, Europe, or elsewhere — to make sure it is legally sufficient”.
If a request appears to be deficient or overly broad, it adds, it pushes back, and “will fight in court if necessary”.
It concludes, “We’ll also keep working with partners in industry and civil society to encourage governments around the world to reform surveillance in a way that protects their citizens’ safety and security while respecting their rights and freedoms.”
