Amazon turns over record amount of customer data to US authorities
Law enforcement requests for Amazon's cloud customers has gone up, but the company still won't say if Echo has been wiretapped. (Image: CNET/CBS Interactive)
Amazon has turned over a record amount of customer data to the US government in the first-half of last year in response to demands by law enforcement.
The retail and cloud giant quietly posted its latest transparency report on Dec. 29 without notice -- as it has with previous reports -- detailing the latest figures for the first six months of 2017.
The report, which focuses solely on its Amazon Web Services cloud business, revealed 1,936 different requests between January and June 2017, a rise from the previous bi-annual report.
The company received:
It's not clear why there was a spike in requests during the half-year period. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment
- 1,618 subpoenas, of which the company fully complied with 42 percent;
- 229 search warrants, of which the company fully complied with 44 percent;
- 89 other court orders, of which the company fully complied with 52 percent.
Amazon also confirmed it had 75 requests from outside the US through a mutual legal assistance process, in which it partially complied with two cases. The remaining cases were rejected. But the company didn't say which countries made the requests.
Amazon said it did not receive any content removal orders during the period.
Like in previous reports, the company refused to say if it had received a national security letter during the period. Tech companies are barred from disclosing exactly how many of these letters they receive, but companies can under their First Amendment right to freedom of speech say if they have not received one.
Amazon instead elected to say it had received between zero and 249 national security requests.
The company's transparency reports do not take into account any other data-related business units, such as if authorities have obtained data wiretapped or submitted through its Amazon's Echo products.
Law enforcement has, since Echo's inception, looked at ways to obtain data from the voice-activated assistant. Amazon has largely resisted efforts by police to obtain data from the always-listening product, but acquiesced in one murder investigation after the suspect did not object to the turning over of his Echo data.
Amazon turns over record amount of customer data to US law enforcement
- Thread starter TheKid55
- Start date
ADevilYouKhow
Rhyme Reason
No, I think Amazon is actually one of the biggest server providers.
amazon web services is one of the largest web hosts out there so this isn't surprising.
"Alexa, how much is an ounce of coke?"
Prince.Skeletor
Don’t Be Like He-Man
No AWS is not for consumers but for businesses.
In lamens terms it is like data center hosting.
This.
i tell 'em it's to kill crabgrass.@Feds going to be at my door for all the large quantities of baking soda i've ordered over the last few months
you'll be straight as long as you weren't hosting your website on AWS. buying supplies for your illegal business = good. hosting a website with AWS to sell illegal goods = bad.I’ve been using my echo to buy fentanyl and illegally harvested organs with bitcoin for a while now. You guys think I’m gonna make it out of this ok?
newworldafro
DeeperThanRapBiggerThanHH
United States of Amaerizonica
ADevilYouKhow
Rhyme Reason
WRONG
