Verizon released its first transparency report, which revealed the number of law enforcement requests for customer data during 2013.

Verizon confirmed on Dec. 19, 2013, about its intentions to publish a transparency report by early 2014 with the aim to make it a semi-annual occurrence.

"Verizon is committed to our customers' privacy, and we do not sell information that individually identifies our customers to third parties without our customers' consent," said Verizon's Executive Vice President for Public Policy and General Counsel Randal S. Milch in December.

According to Milch, all companies are required to provide customer information to governmental agencies under specific circumstances such as bomb threats, hostage situations, kidnappings, and life-threatening situations, to name a few.

"Although we have a legal obligation to provide customer information to law enforcement in response to lawful demands, we take seriously our duty to provide such information only when authorized by law," Milch stated. "We have released the lion's share of this data for the past two years, and we are taking this step to make this information more consistently and easily available."

The Verizon Transparency Report consists of requests from local, state, and federal law enforcement from Jan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2013. The mobile carrier noted 320,000 requests for customer information were compiled. Verizon stated it does not release a customer's information unless "authorized by law." According to Verizon, the law enforcement demands ranged from subpoenas, orders, and warrants. Of the 320,000 requests, approximately 164,000 were subpoenas, 36,7000 warrants, and 50,000 emergency requests from law enforcement. In regards to National Security Letters, Verizon did not provide specific figures but noted it ranged between 1,000 and 1,999.

For subpoenas, Verizon stated data provided to law enforcement are "generally" a customer's information on a bill such as name and address. Verizon reassured it does not release content such as emails and text messages or mobile phone location information.

For court orders, it is broken down to two categories: "General Orders" and "Pen/Trap Orders and Wiretap Orders." General Orders are similar to subpoenas, in terms Verizon is required to release names and address of a customer but not emails and texts messages. Pen/Trap and Wiretap Orders require Verizon to provide "real-time" access to a customer's information. An example of this order, Verizon may disclose phone numbers from incoming calls or dialed as it happens, live. Regardless of the type of court, a judge must sign off on the request before law enforcement contacts Verizon.

Warrants mean there is "probable cause" that a crime has occurred, and it must be described to a judge. Verizon noted warrants during 2013 were for stored content or location information.

Verizon was not allowed to disclose precise National Security Letters received. The U.S. government allowed Verizon to disclose a "broad range" figure instead. National Security Letters pertain to information requests based on national security matters.

The director of the FBI issues the National Security Letters and, in such cases, Verizon must comply. Verizon noted the FBI may only receive limited information through the National Security Letters such as name, address, length of service, and toll billing records. Content or location information cannot be given to the FBI via the National Security Letters.

"Our dedicated teams carefully review each demand and reject those that fail to comply with the law," Milch stated with the release of the Transparency Report. "If a demand is overly broad or vague, we will not disclose any information in response or will work to narrow the scope of the information we produce. Some demands seek information that we simply do not have; accordingly, we produce no information at all or only some of the information sought by those demands from law enforcement."

Verizon aims to release a transparency every six months.

As a Nielson study revealed in 2012, the Latino population in the U.S. is the largest minority segment, and it has benefited the tech field.

"Approximately 60 percent of Latino households own at least one video- and Internet-enabled cell phone, compared to 43 percent of the general market," noted the Nielson study "State of the Hispanic Consumer: The Hispanic Market Imperative." "In monthly time, Hispanics spend 68 percent more time watching video on the Internet and 20 percent more time watching video on their mobile phones compared to non-Hispanic Whites."

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