Apple joins Facebook, Microsoft in outlining data requests

The technology company received nearly 5,000 requests for customer information from US law enforcement authorities

Apple Inc, the world's most-valuable technology company, received as many as 5,000 requests for customer information from US law enforcement authorities amid widening revelations of government data collection.

Between 9,000 and 10,000 accounts or devices were specified in the requests between December 1 and May 31, the Cupertino, California-based company said in a statement. Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp said they received thousands of warrants for data from government entities during the second half of 2012.

The role of technology companies has come under scrutiny since Edward Snowden, a computer technician who did work for the National Security Agency (NSA), disclosed this month that the NSA is collecting data under a US government programme code-named PRISM. The project traces its roots to warrantless domestic-surveillance efforts under former US President George W Bush.

"Like several other companies, we have asked the US government for permission to report how many requests we receive related to national security and how we handle them," Apple said in the statement.

"We have been authorised to share some of that data, and we are providing it here in the interest of transparency."

Apple said it hadn't heard of PRISM until June 6 when news organisations asked it questions. Requests came from federal, state and local authorities and included both criminal and national security matters, it said. Police investigations into crimes such as robbery were the most-common form of request, it said.