Facebook shared some details Friday night about how frequently it receives government requests for information.

Between June and December 2012, US government entities filed 9,000 to 10,000 requests for Facebook-user data, the company said in a statement posted on its press website. In those requests, the government sought information on a total of between 18,000 and 19,000 user accounts. Facebook has more than 1.1 billion monthly active users, according to the statement.

The move to share this information comes in response to reports in the Guardian and Washington Post that Facebook, along with eight other major tech companies, has been providing the National Security Agency access to data on its servers through a program called “PRISM.” (Disclosure: AOL, which owns The Huffington Post, is among those accused of participating in PRISM.)

The company wrote in its statement:


We’ve reiterated in recent days that we scrutinize every government data request that we receive – whether from state, local, federal, or foreign governments. We’ve also made clear that we aggressively protect our users’ data when confronted with such requests: we frequently reject such requests outright, or require the government to substantially scale down its requests, or simply give the government much less data than it has requested. And we respond only as required by law.

But particularly in light of continued confusion and inaccurate reporting related to this issue, we’ve advocated for the ability to say even more.

Since this story was first reported, we’ve been in discussions with U.S. national security authorities urging them to allow more transparency and flexibility around national security-related orders we are required to comply with. We’re pleased that as a result of our discussions, we can now include in a transparency report all U.S. national security-related requests (including FISA as well as National Security Letters) – which until now no company has been permitted to do. As of today, the government will only authorize us to communicate about these numbers in aggregate, and as a range. This is progress, but we’re continuing to push for even more transparency, so that our users around the world can understand how infrequently we are asked to provide user data on national security grounds.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a message from his personal Facebook account denying that the social network is part of a secret NSA data-sharing program.

“Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers,” Zuckerberg wrote. “We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received. And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn’t even heard of PRISM before yesterday.”

On Tuesday, Google sent an open letter to Attorney General Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller requesting permission to make public details about the extent to which it has shared user information with the NSA.

AOL does not have any knowledge of the Prism program. It does not disclose user information to government agencies without a court order, subpoena or formal legal process, nor do we provide any government agency with access to our servers.

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  • Fingerprint Gel

    The Japanese government counter-terrorism practice of <a href=”http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/11/20/us-japan-fingerprinting-idUST23858020071120″ target=”_hplink”>fingerprinting foreigners who enter the country</a> may have inspired Doctor Tsutomu Matsumoto to invent “fingerprinting gels”, a way of <a href=”http://cryptome.org/gummy.htm” target=”_hplink”>faking fingerprints for scanners</a>.

    <a href=”http://www.dansdata.com/uareu.htm” target=”_hplink”>Learn how</a> to make your own here.

  • White Noise Generator

    Worried someone around you is <a href=”http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-28/strategy/29998051_1_bank-employee-consent-conversation” target=”_hplink”>secretly recording everything you do?</a> No fear! There’s a relatively low-tech way to defeat such snoops, via white-noise-producing <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Productive-Home-Security-Prducts-Jammer/dp/B002PJ7PYS” target=”_hplink”>audio jammers</a>. These tiny devices use good ol’ white noise to blur the sound picked up by hidden microphones and other surreptitious recording devices.

  • Phonekerchief

    <a href=”http://www.technologyreview.com/view/421768/silence-smart-phones-at-thanksgiving-dinner-with/” target=”_hplink”>MIT’s Technology Review</a> calls it the newest, hottest Thanksgiving accessory — but you can use phone-size “<a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage” target=”_hplink”>Faraday cages</a>” like this (sold by <a href=”http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/phonekerchief?9gtype=search&9gkw=phone kerchief&9gad=6315569457&gclid=CKWq9s2krLICFcRM4AodwDoAAw” target=”_hplink”>uncommongoods</a>) to block your cellphone’s call signal, WiFi and GPS. Handy now that<a href=” http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/federal-court-rules-cops-can-warantlessly-track-suspects-via-cellphone/” target=”_hplink”> federal courts are ruling that cops can track suspects via cellphone sans warrant</a>, and <a href=”http://www.zdnet.com/apple-patent-could-remotely-disable-protesters-phone-cameras-7000003640/” target=”_hplink”>Apple can remotely disable your phone camera with a click</a>. As security researcher <a href=”http://nplusonemag.com/leave-your-cellphone-at-home” target=”_hplink”>Jacob Appelbaum said in an interview with N+1 back in April</a>, “Cell phones are tracking devices that make phone calls.” So shouldn’t you be prepared for when you <em>don’t</em> want to be tracked?

  • LED-Lined Hat

    Hidden cameras got you down? Blind them all with a simple baseball cap lined with infrared LEDs. <a href=”http://creator.wonderhowto.com/amiehold/” target=”_hplink”>Amie, a hacker on WonderHowTo</a>, shows the world <a href=”http://mods-n-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-infrared-mask-hide-your-face-from-cameras-201280/#” target=”_hplink”>how to make one</a>, while <a href=”http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oberwelt.de%2Fprojects%2F2008%2FFilo%2520art.htm&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8″ target=”_hplink”>this German art exhibition</a> lays out how these ingenious devices work.

  • Bug Detector

    These receivers reveal the telltale electronic crackle of hidden mics and cameras. Strangely enough, they were around long before “surveillance culture” became a <a href=”http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylsspps_papers/64/” target=”_hplink”>common phrase</a>. Today they’re sold in all sorts of <a href=”http://www.gadget-playground.com/bug-detection.html” target=”_hplink”>shops for surveillance paranoids</a>.

  • Camera Map

    Sometimes hiding your face isn’t enough; sometimes you don’t want to be seen at all. For those days, there’s camera maps. The <a href=”http://www.mediaeater.com/cameras/locations.html ” target=”_hplink”>NYC Surveillance Camera Project</a> is currently working to document the location of and working status of every security camera in New York City. This project has been replicated by others in <a href=”http://www.notbored.org/boston.html” target=”_hplink”>Boston</a>, <a href=”http://www.notbored.org/chicago-SCP.html” target=”_hplink”>Chicago</a> and <a href=”http://www.bloomingtonsecuritycameras.com/map.html” target=”_hplink”>Bloomington</a>, Indiana. <a href=”http://www.notbored.org” target=”_hplink”>Notbored.org</a> has even published a guide to making your own surveillance camera maps (<a href=”http://www.notbored.org/map-making.html ” target=”_hplink”>here</a>).

  • Dazzle Camouflage

    Credit to artist <a href=”http://ahprojects.com/” target=”_hplink”>Adam Harvey</a> for this one. Inspired by the <a href=”http://www.bobolinkbooks.com/Camoupedia/DazzleCamouflage.html” target=”_hplink”>”dazzle camouflage” </a>used on submarines and warships during World War I, he designed a series of face paint principles meant to fool the facial recognition schemas of security cameras. Check out <a href=”http://dismagazine.com/dystopia/evolved-lifestyles/8115/anti-surveillance-how-to-hide-from-machines/ ” target=”_hplink”>The Perilous Glamour of Life Under Surveillance</a> for some tips on designing your own camera-fooling face paint.

  • Throwaway Cellphone

    Walmart may be the premier symbol of corporate America, but its disposable cellphone selection can help you start a thoroughly maverick lifestyle. <a href=”http://www.walmart.com/ip/TracFone-Samsung-S125G-Prepaid-Cell-Phone-Bundle/20933059″ target=”_hplink”>$10 TracFones</a> work on most major networks, including <a href=”http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/12/how-to-get-tracfone-net10-or-straight.html” target=”_hplink”>AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon</a>, and come with minutes prepaid so you can dispose of the devices when you’re done.

  • RFID-Blocking Wallet

    Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are now <a href=”http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htm” target=”_hplink”>regularly implanted</a> in passports, ID cards, credit cards and travel papers. These tiny chips make machine-reading your documents easier — but could also let anyone with the right type of scanner <a href=”http://articles.cnn.com/2006-07-10/tech/rfid_1_rfid-industry-rfid-journal-rfid-chips?_s=PM:TECH ” target=”_hplink”>scrape your information <em>and</em> track your whereabouts</a>. Luckily, gadget geeks have come to the rescue again, this time with<a href=”http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/8cdd/” target=”_hplink”> RFID-blocking wallets</a>. Working on the same principle as the “phonekerchief”, these wallets create a Faraday cage around your items, keeping their data secure until you take them out to be scanned where they’re supposed to be scanned. Destroying the chip is simpler: <a href=”http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-blockkill-RFID-chips/” target=”_hplink”>just nuke it in the microwave for five seconds</a>. Of course, whatever you’re microwaving might <a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_5UYcyO3Pg” target=”_hplink”>burst into flames</a> first…