Facebook: Government agents in 74 countries demanded data on 38,000 users

WASHINGTON – Social networking giant Facebook says government agents in 74 countries demanded information on about 38,000 users of the service in the first half of this year, with about half the orders coming from authorities in the United States.

Facebook made the statement Tuesday. It is the latest technology company to release figures on how often governments seek information about its customers. Microsoft and Google have done the same.

As was the case with the other companies, it’s hard to discern much from Facebook’s data, besides the fact that, as users around the globe flocked to the world’s largest social network, police and intelligence agencies followed. Facebook and Twitter have become organizing platforms for activists and, as such, have become targets for governments.