Data from a Facebook report for the first half of 2015 reveals that India topped in requests for blocking content on the social networking site. Facebook, in its Global Government Requests Report has said that India and Turkey were responsible for most of the content taken down for violating local laws. India had 15,155 pieces of content restricted – nearly triple the number in the second half of 2014 – while Turkey had 4,496, up from 3,624.
Further, Government requests for account data rose 18 per cent in the first half of 2015 to 41,214 accounts from the second half of 2014, Facebook said in the report posted on its website. The report, which covers 93 countries shows the US Government asking for 26,579 requests for user data, followed by India and the UK with 6,268 and 4,489 requests respectively. Governments have increasingly relied on Facebook’s user data to help investigate criminal cases, which are responsible for most of the requests, Facebook said. Governments often request basic subscriber information, IP addresses or account content, including people’s posts online.
Facebook’s biannual report is one of the chief indicators of Government interest in the company’s data. The social media giant is generally not allowed to publicize specific requests by law enforcement and spy agencies.
Facebook has 1.55 billion users across the world now, of which over 190 million are in India.