By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — Twitter got more information requests from governments and copyright holders to provide user information or block content in the first half of 2012 than in all of 2011.
More than 80 percent of those requests came from the United States, which led the way with 679 requests, according to a new report from Twitter. Twitter said it fully or partially complied with 75 percent of the requests.
The report is similar to one produced by Internet search giant Google. The findings in the Twitter report seem to mirror those of the most recent Google report released in June. It found that the search giant has been experiencing a dramatic increase in demands to remove online content or turn over information about users.
Governments are targeting Twitter because it has become one of the world’s most popular digital services. Twitter’s medium for near-instant self-expression has powered political protests throughout the world, including the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States and the Arab Spring uprisings.
Twitter says it tries to protect the sanctity of users’ personal information. It notifies users if government officials request their account information unless prohibited by law, and transmits copyright takedown notices to Chilling Effects, a free-speech advocacy group that compiles such notices online.