Twitter Reports a Surge in Government Data Requests

Twitter released its twice-yearly transparency report, showing a surge in government requests for users’ Twitter information. The report, which discloses the frequency with which government agencies from around the world ask Twitter to hand over data on specific users, said total requests rose by 40 percent, to about 2,871, compared with the company’s last report, in July. The latest requests came from more than 50 countries. The most requests for Twitter came from the government of Turkey, which has often clashed with the microblogging company.