Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Says That Government Surveillance Is On The Rise

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has released updated data on the number of government information and takedown requests, revealing that requests for data made by world governments are increasing rapidly.

Get Free Trend Analysis On GOOG Here

The United States tops the list of governments that made requests for data during the first half of 2012, logging about 8,000 requests for data. The US was the second in requests for removal with 273 requests to Turkey’s 501.

Google had begun disclosing its government requests in the year 2001 stating that it was crucial for its users to be acquainted with who was requesting data from their services. This is something that other companies have started to reveal both on their own and through agreements with organizations, such as Chilling Effects.

Dorothy Chou, senior policy analyst of Google has said that the data that the company reveals is only an isolated sliver showing how governments of nations interact with the Internet. The company is overwhelmed to find how companies like LinkedIn, Twitter, Dropbox and Sonic has started to share statistics as well. Google hopes that with time, more information will boost public debate on how one can keep the Internet a free and open space.

Google is currently under scrutiny from governments and companies around the globe over the kind of content that should go live on the Internet. A few countries are behaving aggressively while seeking removal of contents from search results and sites.

In Turkey, Google has received requests to remove content that are associated with alleged criticism of the government, republic’s founder and national identity. Google has also received petitions related to blogs that talk about freedom of the minority and those that reveal details about the private lives of politicians. Turkey has a record of taking serious action against YouTube in the past.