( CNN ) -- Apple is opening up about how many government requests it gets for customer information . The secretive company released its first transparency report on Tuesday , breaking down the number of account and device data requests it received from law enforcement by country for the first half of 2013 . The United States submitted the most requests for account information , with 1,000 to 2,000 requests regarding 2,000 to 3,000 individual accounts . These requests might be for personal information found in iTunes , Game Center and iCloud accounts . The vast majority of requests the company receives are from law enforcement agencies trying to track down lost or stolen phones , tablets and computers on behalf of Apple customers . Apple received 3,542 of these `` device information '' requests in the U.S. for 8,605 devices , and Apple turned over some or all of the desired information 88 of the time . Germany made the second largest number of device requests , followed by Singapore . This is the first time Apple has released a transparency report . Google began disclosing data about its government requests in 2011 and releases an updated list every six months . Since the initial revelations about surveillance by the National Security Agency came to light earlier this year , there has been an uptick in the number of tech companies voluntarily releasing statistics on the government requests they get . Apple joins Facebook , Yahoo and other tech companies taking part in a practice that is fast becoming industry standard . `` Apple is so secretive about everything it does , the fact that it is opening up shows that transparency really is the new standard , and the consumers are demanding it , '' said Nate Cardozo , a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation . Though the information in the reports is somewhat standard , Apple did included something different . The last line under the notes section in the report says , `` Apple has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act . We would expect to challenge such an order if served on us . '' Section 215 is the part of the Patriot Act the NSA could use to compel companies to hand over user data . If Apple did receive such an order , it would likely be accompanied by a gag order so Apple would not even be able to say that it did or did not receive a 215 request . Cardozo says this type of disclosure is called a canary , and Apple is the first major tech company to include it . `` Six months from now , we will look to make sure that line is included , and if they do n't say they have not received a 215 request , we can assume they have , '' said Cardozo . Apple also joined Yahoo and Google and filed a brief in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court asking for more transparency to discuss government requests openly and in more detail . Currently , the U.S. government only allows companies to talk about how many national security orders , including the numbers of accounts impacted , in ranges of thousands . `` We have reported all the information we are legally allowed to share , and Apple will continue to advocate for greater transparency about the requests we receive , '' Apple said in the report . The other information in Apple 's report was fairly standard . It 's difficult to compare Apple 's numbers directly to those previously disclosed by companies such as Facebook and Google . Though they 're all technology companies , they are vastly different businesses and store different amounts and types of data about their users . `` Our business does not depend on collecting personal data . We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers , '' Apple said in the beginning of the report . That statement seems to be dig directed at companies such as Google , LinkedIn , Facebook and many others that do base their businesses on collecting their customers ' personal information . The hunger for personal data is n't limited to governments as it 's also very lucrative for many technology companies .
Apple released its first report listing the amount of consumer requests for protection . Most of Apple 's requests were for device protection such as tracking down a stolen phone . These types of reports are now the standard in the electronics industry .