Microsoft said it provided only subscriber/transactional data for 79.1 percent of these requests. The company rejected 18.6 percent of the total requests made while no data was found for 2.3 percent of Skype-related requests.

Globally, Microsoft (including Skype) received 37,196 requests from law enforcement agencies impacting 66,539 accounts in January-June 2013 compared to 75,378 requests and 137,424 potential accounts in the whole of 2012.

"While we see requests from a large number of countries, when you look at the overall number, the requests are fairly concentrated with over 73 percent of requests coming from five countries, the US, Turkey, Germany, the UK, and France," it said.

For Skype, the requests were similarly concentrated the US, the UK, France and Germany, accounting for over 70 per cent of requests, Microsoft added.

The report comes close on the heels of technology firms coming under pressure following revelations of a secret US Government programme which scoops up data from internet firms.

Technology firms, including Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter and Google, have been releasing information on government data requests in the belief that it would help in reassuring their customers.

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