By Madison Ruppert

Editor of End the Lie

A screenshot of the user requests filed by various governments from January to June 2012, according to the latest Google Transparency Report (Image credit: Google/End the Lie screenshot)

Google’s most recent Transparency Report reveals yet again that the United States leads the world in user data requests issued to Google, the vast majority of which are fulfilled in part or in full.

This is hardly surprising and is in line with previous reports, including one issued last year which revealed that even China is dwarfed by the U.S.’s takedown requests, which included one for “government criticism.”

One must also consider Google’s tight-knit relationship with the U.S. government and the appeals court decision which essentially prevented Google from ever being forced to disclose the nature of their relationship with the National Security Agency (NSA).

The most recent report discloses the many information quests filed by entities around the globe just during the six-month period ending in June 2012, the sheer number of which is quite troubling.

In just the first half of this year, a whopping 20,938 requests were filed by governments around the world pertaining to some 34,614 user accounts.

Of those 20,938 requests, 7,969 were issued by the United States government pertaining to 16,281 users/accounts.

To make matters even more troubling, Google complied either in full or in part with a whopping 90 percent of requests. This number is especially shocking when one realizes that in some cases Google does not comply with a single request, as is the case with Hungary, Russia and Turkey, all of which issued less than 300 requests combined.

Other countries leading the pack include India, with 2,319 requests pertaining to 3,467 users and/or accounts, Brazil, with 1,566 requests pertaining to 2,640 users and/or accounts, France, with 1,546 requests pertaining to 1,880 users and/or accounts, Germany, with 1,533 requests pertaining to 2,007 users/and or accounts and the United Kingdom with 1,425 requests pertaining to 1,732 users and/or accounts.

All other nations issued less than 1,000 requests. Obviously when comparing the United States’ requests to those of other nations, it becomes even clearer just how surveillance-obsessed our nation has become.

Other troubling stories from the U.S. showing a marked trend include:

• A federal court approving the use of hidden surveillance cameras on private property without obtaining a warrant beforehand
• The federal government targeting more people for illegal surveillance over the past two years than the entire previous decade combined
• Surveillance cameras being placed by police outside homes in residential neighborhoods
• The United Nations calling for worldwide internet surveillance and data retention laws
• An increasing use of armored surveillance vehicles by police around the country
• Admitted breaches of the Fourth Amendment
• The NSA’s illegal warrantless surveillance program being exposed by former employees in court
• New surveillance tactics being unveiled in New York City
• The rise of cloud-based surveillance technology
• Dirt-cheap and easily concealed spy computers funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
• The deployment of facial recognition systems across America
• The Obama administration claiming that cell phone location data is not protected by the Constitution
• The use of drones within the United States, including the military and law enforcement working together to share data captured by drones
• The Department of Homeland Security’s new focus on small drones

There are so many other stories I could list and thus it has become somewhat impossible to list them in one place. For those interested in learning more, please visit End the Lie and start searching (recommend terms to start your journey with include: privacy, surveillance, big brother, drones, Department of Homeland Security, etc.) or use a search engine that respects your privacy to search our site.

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