Apple tops charts for companies that hand over user data to authorities

The report also shows that the number of requests for user data has been increasing each year. 2022 was a particularly busy year: accounting for around 25% of all requests studied for the report. I can’t pinpoint why that’s the case, though it may have had something to do with employees choosing remote work over going to the office.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the U.S. accounted for the most number of requests made to the aforementioned companies. Every one in 100 people in the U.S. have had their data requested by authorities over the last decade. Germany was second and Singapore came in third place. Meta accounts were what was most often requested.

Apple has been topping the user data disclosure list since 2016. This came as a shock to me because I had always been under the impression that Apple was the most difficult company to get user data out of. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed Microsoft to be less compliant than Apple.

Of course, the amount of data these companies collect from us only increases each year. So you can expect your local authorities to know quite a lot about you should you ever come under their radar.

Apple may make some of the best phones worth buying today, but that point might be rendered moot for some consumers when they come across this report.