AT&T, like all companies, is required by law to provide information to government and law enforcement entities, as well as parties to civil lawsuits, by complying with court orders, subpoenas, lawful discovery requests and other legal requirements. The latest AT&T Transparency Report provides (1) specific data regarding the number and types of legal demands to which the carrier responded for the first half of 2019 that compelled the company to provide information about (a) communications or (b) customers, as well as (2) information permitted by law to be disclosed about Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act demands for the second half of 2018.
The Transparency Report also provides information about legal demands that were partially or completely rejected, demands for location information, emergency requests and international legal demands. In the report, AT&T includes all of its operating units:
- National Security Demands National Security Letters Jan.–June 2019
Total Received 500–999
Customer Selectors Targeted 2,500–2,999
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act July–Dec. 2018
Total Content 0–499
Customer Selectors Targeted 8,500–8,999
Total Non-Content 0–499
Customer Selectors Targeted 0–499
- Total U.S. Criminal & Civil Demands
Total Demands 133,695
Subpoenas 104,374
Criminal 92,944
Civil 11,430
Court Orders (General) 9,827
Historic 6,698
Real-Time (Pen registers) 3,129
- Search Warrants/Probable Cause Court Orders
Historic 12,516
Stored Content 4,687
Other 7,829
Real-Time 6,978
Wiretaps 1,309
Mobile Locate Demands 5,669
- Demands Rejected/Partial or No Data Provided
Total 66,157
Rejected/Challenged 4,167
Partial or No Information 61,990
- Location Demands (Breakout detail of data included in Total U.S. Criminal & Civil Demands)
Total 47,110
Historic 37,144
Real-Time 8,469
Cell Tower 1,497
- Emergency Requests
Total 61,636
911- 50,754
Exigent 10,882
August 29, 2019
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