Brazil Request Data on Data Requests

You may remember the article we published last week on Google opening the blinds on government data requests for public inspection. Google and YouTube (owned by Google) hold a prime position on the internet meaning they are privy to vast quantities of data internationally on the net and as such they regularly receive data requests from governments as well as removal requests. However, with these requests going public the Brazilian government looks to be the first to come forward with concerns about the freedom of this information.

It’s not surprising either, as Brazil tops the charts for both data requests and removal requests for the time between July 1^st and December 31^st 2009. For removal requests the nation tops the chart a distant 103 requests above their nearest competitor Germany who have a reputation for strict monitoring of the internet. The problem the Brazilian government has is that it’s seemingly making them look bad as it suggests a high level of censorship. An article on AP news details how a Brazilian prosecutor sent an order to Google to clarify the figures and suggests that most of the requests relate to child pornography sites. She also stated that the way Google presented the data without specifying what the requests were related to gives the country a bad rap.

However, as a standard Google apparently don’t include the removal of child pornography in the statistic so it seems that Brazils stat are vastly different from what they’re suggesting. Despite this the Brazilian government might be on to something (accidentally) by suggesting that the presenting of the data without clarification means it can be misconstrued. The civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation made a similar statement last week, but presumably for entirely different reasons.

The fact is that on Google’s government requests page they state that the service is somewhat limited and that they are still working on the best way to collect and display the data. In time it could offer a far greater insight which will no doubt be welcomed by all but a selection of more secretive governments.

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