Apple, Facebook, others defy authorities, notify users of secret data demands
I hope there's some discretion used here based on the nature of the request. Child Sextortion (send me naked photos or record these sex acts with your sibling or I'll send this devastating photo to all of your friends on Facebook) is a very real and frequent problem. If mom & dad show the sextortion messages to their local police detective and s/he fills out a Facebook records request to see if the suspect is victimizing other minors, will Facebook notify the suspect?<p>The average local investigator is low-tech, has good intentions to help a victim, and has nothing to do with FISA or national security issues. I'd much rather see a tech company say, "Hey, we're not just going to give you everything on this user. In fact, we'll notify the user unless you provide more justification or background on the reason for your request," than notify the suspect without warning. At least then the investigator can provide more info for consideration, or go back to a judge.