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Twitter Releases Updated Transparency Report

Liz Woolery, August 02, 2013

Abstract: On Wednesday, Twitter released an updated version of its Transparency Report with information about the information requests, content-removal requests, and copyright notices the social network received in the first two quarters of 2013. The bi-annual report, which Twitter first published in July 2012, details worldwide requests regarding both U.S. and international accounts and users

On Wednesday, Twitter released an updated version of its Transparency Report with information about the information requests, content removal requests, and copyright notices the social network received in the first two quarters of 2013. The bi-annual report, which Twitter first published in July 2012, details worldwide requests regarding both U.S. and international accounts and users

Information Requests
With three reports reports now released, this newest report makes clear that certain trends are starting to emerge. For example, the number of information requests and number of users or accounts specified have both risen steadily over the past year and a half. On the other hand, the percentage of requests with which Twitter complied (either in full or in part) has declined. Twitter reports that the majority of the requests - 78% - come from the United States, with Japan the second largest requester with 8% of requests. Since July 2012 Twitter has received requests from 35 different governments. Twenty-six governments filed requests in the first half of 2013.

Content Removal
Trends in content removal are apparent as well. The number of content removal requests has grown significantly since Twitter published its first Transparency Report in July 2012. Twitter does not provide numbers for Greece or Pakistan in its 2013 update. However, both are listed as countries which have submitted removal requests. It is unclear why the data for these two countries is not included in Twitter's report. Nonetheless, there is lots of information about what other countries have been up to with respect to asking Twitter to remove content.

On a country-by-country basis, the numbers are bit less consistent, with certain countries, such as Russia, dramatically increasing the number of content removal requests while others, such as Brazil, seemingly have scaled back on those requests.

As interesting as the removal requests are, Twitter revealed that it had "un-withheld" content as well. Twitter worked with the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media - or Roskomnadzor - "to ensure that accounts brought into compliance with local law by the users were un-withheld and reinstated in the Russian Federation." We were able to track down one such notice in Chilling Effects database. You can view that notice, and the subsequent withdrawal of the content-removal request, "here". The withdrawal request provides little information as to why Russia withdrew its content-removal request, noting only that "a decision was adopted" to re-instate the Tweet at issue.

Copyright Notices

Though it comes at little surprise, the number of copyright notices Twitter has received over the past year and a half has risen dramatically. So too has the number of accounts targeted in these DMCA notices, the number of Tweets with infringing content removed, the number of media files removed (Twitter says that this includes "profile photos, header photos, background images, Twitter-hosted media ... and Vine videos"), and the overall percentage of cases in which Twitter removed material.

Additional Information
New this year, the report includes an "additional information" tab which details the site's accessibility around the world. Using data from the Berkman Center's Herdict project, Twitter compiled charts of the countries in which Twitter is most inaccessible. China clearly leads the way in preventing access to the site over the July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013 year, with 89 reports of inaccessibility, and zero reports of accessibility.

Chilling Effects is committed to shedding light on internet speech and expression issues, in part by maintaining a database of DMCA and cease-and-desist notices from around the world. Twitter submits valid copyright notices and requests for content removal to the Chilling Effects database. For more information on what we have in the database, and how Twitter deals with requests for government information, content removal, and copyright notices, check out this recent Weather Report.

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