Coinbase received about 2,000 government requests within six months

Coinbase received about 2,000 government requests within six months

The largest American bitcoin exchange Coinbase has published its first transparency report. It states that during the first half of 2020, the company received 1,914 government requests for information.

About 90% of requests came from three jurisdictions — the United States, Great Britain, and Germany.

  1. United States – 1113 requests
  2. United Kingdom – 441 requests
  3. Germany – 176 requests
  4. France – 45 requests
  5. Austria – 18 requests
  6. Spain – 12 requests
  7. Ireland – 11 requests
  8. Sweden – 9 requests
  9. Norway – 8 requests
  10. Switzerland – 7 requests
  11. Australia – 6 requests
  12. Netherlands – 6 requests
  13. South Korea – 6 requests
  14. Czech Republic – 5 requests
  15. Denmark – 5 requests
  16. Finland – 5 requests
  17. Poland – 5 requests
  18. Singapore – 5 requests
  19. Italy – 4 requests
  20. Canada – 3 requests
  21. Ukraine – 3 requests
  22. Belgium – 2 requests
  23. Brazil – 2 requests
  24. Hungary – 2 requests
  25. Malta – 2 requests
  26. Portugal – 2 requests
  27. Slovenia – 2 requests
  28. Estonia – 1 request
  29. Greece – 1 request
  30. Latvia – 1 request
  31. Romania – 1 request
  32. Slovakia – 1 request
  33. Turkey – 1 request

Us government agencies sent 1,113 requests to Coinbase, 60% of the total number. From them:

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — 340;
  • National Security Agency — 184;
  • local government agencies and the drug enforcement administration — 180 and 104, respectively.

Coinbase also reported that it regularly receives subpoenas from law enforcement agencies.

“These requests mostly come in the form of subpoenas. They may also include search warrants, court decisions, and other formal procedures”

the company said.

Coinbase announced that they will continue to publish such reports in the future, but did not specify the frequency of their release.

In September, the San Francisco-based nonprofit digital rights group (EFF) called on Coinbase to issue transparency reports.

The company must specify how many government requests for information it receives and how it processes them.