Google gives user data to U.S. government in almost all cases

Google disclosed on Monday that law enforcement agencies in the United States requested user data from the company more than 8,000 times last year.

As part of its Transparency Report feature, which also tracks requests to remove information, Google noted that it had processed 8,888 government requests in the United States. Of the 4,601 processed in the last six months of 2010, the company fully or partially complied with 94 percent of the requests.

"The number of requests we receive for user account information as part of criminal investigations has increased year after year," Google said in the online posting. "The increase isn't surprising, since each year we offer more products and services, and we have a larger number of users."

Of the countries listed, the U.S. government by far requested the most data. Google also complied with American requests more than those of any other government.

The next highest country was Brazil, with just over 4,200 requests total. Google said it complied in 76 percent of the cases in the last half of the year. In at least one country, Hungary, Google reported that it complied with none of the 68 requests for user information.

"We review each request to make sure that it complies with both the spirit and the letter of the law, and we may refuse to produce information or try to narrow the request in some cases," the post states.

The numbers include requests for both Google, and YouTube, the company's video website. Google did not report how many, if any, the company received from China, among other countries.