Govts seek increasing volumes of data from Google

Google's latest Transparency Report reveals an increase in the rate of government requests for user data in criminal investigations, including a leap in the volume of information sought by Australian authorities.

Since Google started publishing the figures in 2009, the number of requests has increased by around 120 percent, the company's legal director Richard Salgado said.

What's more, an increasing number of different governments have started to make requests for the data, he added.

The Australian Government has been an enthusiastic requester of Google user data over the years. Starting with a modest 155 requests in the six months to December 2009, the latest statistics show Aussie authorities demanded information in 780 cases in the six months to December 2013.

In total, the Government sought information on 944 users and accounts, and Google produced some data to meet 70 percent of the requests.

Salgado said Google continues to push back against overly broad government requests for user personal information, and is also campaigning for reforms to surveillance that include will facilitate greater transparency.

The company has put together a video that explains the process it follows when responding to United States search warrants, saying it applies the same standards to every request it receives.