Police asking for more Trade Me data than last year as overall requests fall

Trade Me has issued a challenge to the Government and other businesses to release their request data as well. Photo/ trademe.co.nz

Police asked Trade Me for information about its members more than 1500 times in the past year, including requests relating to drugs, stolen goods and even missing people and murders.

The company's fifth annual transparency report, released today, illustrates the number of requests for data from government agencies in the past financial year.

It has also issued a negative feedback challenge to the Government and businesses to do the same.

In the report, data showed overall requests by government agencies for information dropped 1.6 per cent in the past 12 months to 2099.

However police requests increased, from 1508 in 2016 to 1559 this year, after dropping from a high in 2015.

Police requests largely related to cases of stolen goods, non-delivery and drugs, which combined made up more than two thirds of requests.

Trade Me data showed 47 requests for information were relating to murder cases or missing persons and 42 related to sexual offending.

While police requests increased, there was a slight decrease in Trade Me "pushing back" on requests for information.

This year 68 of 2099 requests were pushed back on.

Pushing back was defined as rejecting requests for voluntary disclosure if the company was not satisfied the requirements in the Privacy Act had been met.

Sometimes the agency would be asked to refine the request or it could be rejected altogether.

Jon Duffy, head of Trade Me's trust and safety, said the company would always push back if the request was not detailed enough.

"We pushed back on 3.4 per cent of police inquiries and 2.6 per cent of inquiries
from other government organisations."

Duffy said he was disappointed Trade Me was still a "lone voice in the transparency wilderness" and encouraged other companies to start releasing data requests.

"We produce the Transparency Report because our members have a right to know how their data is requested and why we release it each year. It's the right thing to do."

There were companies that receive "a heck of a lot more requests than Trade Me" and
New Zealand consumers had a right to know how their data was being shared", Duffy said.

TRADE ME'S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

* Police requests increased from 1508 in 2016 to 1559 in 2017
* Other government agencies' requests declined from 625 to 541
* 20 requests came from insurance companies and 312 in relation to Disputes Tribunal issues
* Five complaints were made under the Harmful Digital Communications Act
* 25 per cent of requests did not see any information released, but items were removed or advice passed on to members.