Requests by UK government for disclosure of user data up since last year

Requests to Google for content removal drop

UK government puts in the most user data requests to Google in Europe

Google has released new information which shows that the number of requests by the UK government for the disclosure of user data has increased.

Google's government request tool, launched earlier this year, shows details of the requests made to Google to remove content from its services, provide information about users or remove information from its searches.

During the first six months of 2010, the UK government put 1,343 data requests to Google. This is an increase compared with the second half of 2009 when it made 1,166 requests.

However, the number of requests for the removal of content dropped from 59 in the second half of 2009 to 48 for the first six months of 2010.

While the UK government still tops the list of European countries for requests for the disclosure of user data, the Italian government has put in more requests for the removal of content, with 69 over the first six months of 2010.

Outside Europe, the US government tops the list in terms of disclosure of user data requests, with 4,287, and Brazil follows with 2,435 requests.

Google says it cannot currently reveal the requests from China because Chinese officials consider censorship requests to be state secrets.