LONDON: Private information on Google users was demanded by governments or police more than 14,000 times in 26 developed countries in the second half of last year, according to figures released for the first time by the internet group on Monday.

In an effort to highlight online censorship, Google disclosed that it had received more requests from the United States than anywhere else, and that it complied with anywhere from three-quarters to more than 90 per cent of the requests, depending on which country they were made in.

Google received a record 4,601 requests from the US to disclose internet users’ private data in the six months to December, up 28 per cent year-on-year. The California-based company said it fully or partially complied with 94 per cent of user data orders from the US, and with 72 per cent of those from the UK.

According to Google, the UK made 1,162 user data requests in the second half of last year, ranking it the fourth in terms of requests, behind the US, Brazil and India. Google began releasing its half-yearly Transparency Report in April 2010 as a way to highlight state censorship of the internet.—Dawn/Guardian News Service