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US leads global demand for user data from Big Tech, including the number of emergency requests
June 2025 by Surfshark
For years, the US government has been seeking user data from major tech companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, with the number of requests steadily rising. According to the latest report by cybersecurity company Surfshark, the United States leads the world with a total of 4.2 million requested accounts. Remarkably, from 2013 to mid-2024, the US made over twice as many data requests per 100,000 people compared to all EU countries combined. Notably, the emergency requests in the US are consistently increasing each year as well.
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Emergency requests skyrocketed over the years
Interestingly, emergency requests that bypass usual legal processes are going into an upward trend. Since 2013, a total of 153K account data requests have been made in cases of emergency. However, only the first quarter of 2024 alone has already seen 15K requests. In the first half of 2024, the US submitted emergency requests for user data on 4,437 accounts (the most out of all countries), compared to 3,727 in the first half of 2023. This amounts to a 19% increase.
“Emergency requests are typically made in situations when there is an imminent threat to life or severe injury, for example, suicide threats or school shootings. The concerning part is that often these urgent government or law enforcement requests bypass standard legal procedures such as a subpoena or court order to quickly access user data and prevent harm. If governments start to abuse these practices, for example, by interpreting ‘threats’ too broadly, it can lead to mass surveillance, the collection of vast amounts of data, and it can compromise essential freedoms," comments Goda Sukackaite, Privacy Counsel at Surfshark.
According to G. Sukackaite, emergency requests serve an important role in safeguarding lives and public safety, however, they require careful regulation and oversight to protect individual rights and prevent potential abuse.
Overall, the United Kingdom accounts for the highest percentage of emergency data requests globally, making up 26% (or 40K accounts) of all such requests. The United States follows with 22% (or 34K accounts). The United Arab Emirates accounts for 10.5%, which is notable considering its smaller population compared to countries like India (2.3%) or Germany (2%).
Google, Microsoft, and Apple provide information about the number of emergency requests they receive, while Meta doesn’t specify it. Google received 85% of all emergency requests and was the only company reporting them between 2013 and 2015. In 2013, Google received 392 requests, and in 2023 this number had already reached 25.5K. Apple accounted for 10% of emergency requests, and Microsoft for 5%. Both companies have shown similar trends to Google’s.
As governments request more — Big Tech’s compliance rate steadily increases
According to the newest data, governments request more user data than ever. In 2020, there were a total of 1.3M requested accounts. By 2023, this number grew by 63% to 2.1M, with the first half of 2024 indicating a record year ahead. The US and EU authorities request data the most. They account for 55% of all interest accounts from 2013 to mid-2024.
Between 2013 and 2021, compliance was, on average, 70%, while from 2022 to mid-2024, the average compliance rate increased to 78%. Looking at individual Big Tech numbers in the US:
• Google received 701,505 requests and complied with 585,181 of them, resulting in a compliance rate of 83.4%.
• Meta received 1,000,791 requests and complied with 869,706 of them, resulting in a compliance rate of 86.9%.
• Apple received 91,170 requests and complied with 80,461 of them, resulting in a compliance rate of 88.3%. The US has submitted more than half (58%) of all the requests that Apple has complied with.
• Microsoft received 128,739 requests and complied with 87,374 of them, resulting in a compliance rate of 67.9%.
