It has long been questioned how Big Tech Companies treat their user data. These Companies, such as Meta, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, have been accused of collecting and selling user data for their own purposes. However, a study from Surfshark shows a clear increase in requests for user data from global governments. Surveying 2013 to 2021, the study has found a growth rate of 38% with 2020, and 25% in 2021.

Meta had the most accounts requested by government with over 6.6M, while Apple had the smallest with 416K. Also, 60% of those requests corresponded to government agencies in the United States and Europe. U.S. requested more than double the accounts per 100,000 users than the European Union combined. German, Singapore, United Kingdom and France took the following spots.

Data requests have been found to be connected with criminal investigations and civil/administrative cases in need of digital information. The rate of disclosure from Big Tech companies improved over the years, becoming close to 71%. Apple had the highest of 86% in 2021 and 82% average rate during the same period.

Decentralization of the internet has been proposed as an answer, with Web3 tools being seen as a way to outsmart Big Tech's monopoly. Ironically, some of these Big Companies have joined the race, like Meta recently introducing NFTs to their platform, or Facebook launching Damus, a decentralized version of Twitter.

Therefore, it is clear that government requests for user data have been increasing, and that Big Tech companies has had to respond to it by raising the rate of disclosure. At the same time, decentralization solutions are also being presented as an alternative to limit data speculation or misuse. This also opens up a new era in the internet, where user data is more protected and they have more autonomy regarding their information.



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