US Senator Claims Governments Spying on Apple, Google Users

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • US Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Wednesday that unidentified governments are spying on smartphone users via their push notifications — the alerts that notify users of incoming text messages, emails, and news, among other things. He further stated that these governments were demanding Google and Apple to provide them with such user data.1
  • Push notifications aren't sent by individual apps but rather facilitated by a smartphone's operating provider, Wyden warned in a letter to the US Justice Department (DOJ), which he says means Apple and Google are in a 'unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users are using particular apps.' This data includes which app received the notification and whose Apple or Google account it was sent to.2
  • Wyden's staff didn't specify which governments were making these demands of the companies, but a source familiar with the matter claimed they were both US federal agencies and those of democracies allied to the US. The source also claimed these agencies were requesting the metadata so they could, for example, uncover the identities of anonymous users of messaging app users.3
  • According to Wyden, foreign governments can force companies to turn over push notification data, however, he said in the US, Apple and Google aren't allowed to release such records to the public. In the letter, he argued that he 'would ask that the DOJ repeal or modify any policies that impede this transparency.'4
  • In response, a Google spokesperson said, 'We were the first major company to publish a public transparency report sharing the number and types of government requests,' adding that they 'share the Senator’s commitment to keeping users informed about these requests.'2
  • The DOJ has not yet returned news outlets' requests for comment.4

Sources: 1Daily Mail, 2The Hill, 3Reuters and 4CNBC.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Engadget. This report confirms what many already know: Big Tech collects every ping received on users' phones. According to Wyden, this information is then shared with lawmakers both accountable and unaccountable to US law — something even the app owners can't do anything about. These large companies may promise to keep users' information secure, but evidence shows that they cannot be trusted to do so.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Yahoo Finance. While Big Tech companies may seem like indomitable giants that have the power to do whatever they want, the fact is that they are beholden to federal regulation just like any other business or individual. Despite Apple and Google's best efforts to keep their users' data secure, they are bound to comply with government requests — it's not Big Tech that should be villainized but the governments that are actually behind this concerning privacy violation.