Verizon Communications said on Thursday that it will publish an online report that will provide data on the number of law enforcement requests for customer information that the company received in 2013 in the United States and other countries. This transparency report will arrive in early 2014, and updated on a semi-annual basis.
The company follows other tech giants like Apple, Google and Facebook who began providing transparency reports spanning the first six months of this year in light of the controversy surrounding user data and the NSA. For the United States, the government doesn't allow an exact number, but rather a window amount like 11k to 12k or 20k to 21k.
Verizon announced that its transparency report will "identify the total number of law enforcement agency requests received from government authorities in criminal cases." The report will also break down the data into subcategories including subpoenas, court orders and warrants.
"Verizon will also provide other details about the legal demands it receives, as well as information about requests for information in emergencies," states Verizon's announcement. "Verizon is working with the U.S. government regarding the detail the company can report on the number of National Security Letters it received last year."
"Similar to transparency reports published by other major Internet companies, Verizon's report will not disclose information about other national security requests received by the company," Verizon adds.
In the meantime, Verizon provides a Privacy Policy designed to "inform customers about information the company collects, how it uses that information and under what circumstances it shares that information." To view this Privacy Policy, head here.
