June 19, 2013
This Is How Many Data Requests Yahoo Has Received from the Gov’t (Hint: It’s a Lot)
From December 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, law enforcement made between 12,000 and 13,000 requests for Yahoo! user data, most frequently pertaining to cases of ”fraud, homicides, kidnappings and other criminal investigations,” according to the post. Of these, Yahoo! does not detail how many requests it was legally compelled to comply with, some of which were made through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that companies cannot reveal numbers for yet.
From December 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, law enforcement made between 12,000 and 13,000 requests for Yahoo! user data, most frequently pertaining to cases of ”fraud, homicides, kidnappings and other criminal investigations,” according to the post. Of these, Yahoo! does not detail how many requests it was legally compelled to comply with, some of which were made through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that companies cannot reveal numbers for yet.
Main Core is the code name of a database maintained since the 1980s by the federal government of the United States. Main Core contains personal and financial data of millions of U.S. citizens believed to be threats to national security. The data, which comes from the NSA, FBI, CIA, and other sources, is collected and stored without warrants or court orders.
The search giant asks to clear its name by arguing it has the First Amendment right to reveal how many Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act orders it receives from the U.S. government.