Governments spying on Apple, Google users

How governments are spying on smartphone users through push notifications

Push notifications are the alerts that users receive on their phones from various apps, such as messages, news, or updates. They are convenient and useful, but they also pose a serious threat to the privacy and security of smartphone users.

According to US senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, foreign governments are demanding data from Apple and Google about the push notifications sent to and from certain apps, which could reveal the identities and activities of the users.

Wyden wrote a letter to the Department of Justice on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, asking them to stop preventing Apple and Google from disclosing information about how governments are spying on smartphone users through push notifications.

He said he received a tip about this practice about 18 months ago, and his office has been investigating it since then. He also said that both Apple and Google told him that they were prohibited by the government from sharing any information about this issue with the public.

He asked the Department of Justice to repeal or modify any policies that hindered public discussions of push notification spying, and to provide him with a briefing on the legal basis and scope of this surveillance.

Wyden has been a vocal critic of government surveillance and spyware, and has previously called out the US Commerce Department for promoting sales of spyware to foreign countries.

He said that push notification spying could allow foreign governments to track the movements, contacts, and interests of millions of smartphone users, and potentially target them for harassment, intimidation, or worse.

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He also said that this practice could undermine the trust and confidence of the users in the apps and services they use, and discourage them from exercising their rights to free speech and expression.

He urged the Department of Justice to be transparent and accountable about this issue, and to protect the privacy and security of smartphone users from foreign interference.

Apple said in a statement that they welcomed Wyden’s letter, and that they would update their transparency reporting to include details about these kinds of requests. Google did not comment on the matter.

David Frein