Reddit Refused 42% of User Data Requests in 2014

As part of its annual transparency report, released on Thursday, reddit has revealed that it turned down 42% of all official requests for user data in 2014. Granted, the total number of requests it received was only 55, but it demonstrates that the site will not hand over data on its users unless absolutely necessary.

As reddit wrote in its report:

In 2014, we received 55 requests for user information (including account registration data, log data, and content uploaded by users) from outside parties. We take all requests for the disclosure of user information seriously. When we receive a request, we make sure it is legitimate and not overbroad, and we provide advance notice to affected users unless prohibited by a court order or where we decide delayed notice is appropriate based on clear criteria described in our privacy policy.

Many government requests we receive contain demands to withhold notice from users that carry no legal weight. We actively disregard these non-binding demands. Our goal is to give users the information they need to seek legal advice before their records are disclosed. As stated in our privacy policy, we provide advance notice to affected users unless prohibited by a court order or where we decide delayed notice is appropriate based on clear criteria.

In March last year, reddit was served with a subpoena by the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, seeking “all records and information including registered name, e-mail, and IP address” for user “un1cornbl00d”, specifically relating to a two-day period that month. State authorities suspected un1cornbl00d was part of a couple caught on camera having sex in a public place in Newark, Delaware on St. Patrick’s Day, 2014.

Source: Ars Technica