US federal law enforcement agencies secretly request Microsoft customer data thousands of times a year, AP reported referring to Tom Burt, corporate vice president of customer and security trust at Microsoft Corp.

In recent years, federal law enforcement agencies have issued between 2,400 and 3,500 secret orders a year, or roughly seven to ten a day, he said.

The fact that law enforcement has requested and the courts have approved the secret surveillance of so many Americans represents a major departure from historical norms, he said.

The relationship between law enforcement and Big Tech has garnered attention in recent weeks after Justice Department prosecutors obtained telephone tapes in leaked investigations of not only journalists but also members of Congress and their staff. Microsoft, for example, was among the companies that filed documents by court order, and due to the suppression order, it had to wait more than two years before disclosing it.

Microsoft President Brad Smith called for an end to the overuse of secret court orders, arguing that prosecutors too often use technology to abuse our fundamental freedoms.