Transparency Report

Requests for user information

Just like many other technology companies, Nest may get requests or orders from governments and courts around the world to hand over user data. We made this page to shed some light on these requests and how we process and handle them.

When we get a request for user information, we review it carefully and only provide information within the scope and authority of the request. Privacy and security are incredibly important to us. Before complying with a request, we make sure it follows the law and Nest’s policies. We notify users about legal demands when appropriate, unless prohibited by law or court order. And, if we think a request is overly broad, we’ll seek to narrow it. For example, if a US government agency presented us with a search warrant to investigate a crime they think was captured on a Dropcam, we wouldn’t just hand over user data; we’d analyse the request to be sure that the warrant wasn’t overly broad, then we’d make sure the information they requested was within the scope of the warrant.

We’re still working out the best way to share general information and statistics about any requests we receive. Overall, we’ve seen very few requests and never any National Security Letters or orders for user content or non-content information under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

June 17, 2015