Governments are spying on Apple and Google users through phone notifications, U.S. senator says

A U.S. Senator raised concerns that foreign governments are using their power to force tech giants to provide access to push notification records from smartphones. These notifications, which include a range of alerts from news to social media, pass through the servers of companies, potentially offering insight into users’ app usage patterns.

The Senator cited an investigation sparked by a tip received last year, which suggested that agencies have been actively seeking these records. Push notifications, capable of showing which app received an alert, the time it was received, the device, account details, and sometimes even the content of the message, could thus become a tool for surveillance.

In a communication addressed to the Attorney General, the Senator argued that transparency regarding such requests should be allowed, especially from foreign entities, just as companies notify users about other data demands from governments. Additionally, it was argued that certain U.S. policies regarding the nondisclosure of push notification records should be reconsidered.

The Senator did not name specific governments involved in requesting push notification records. No immediate responses from the Senator’s office or the Department of Justice were reported regarding this issue.

Tech companies commented on their commitment to transparency, with one noting updates to its reporting practices to include these types of data requests. Without mentioning specifics, another company emphasized its history of disclosing government requests for user data.

The overall narrative calls for greater transparency and raises questions about the balance between government surveillance and user privacy in the digital age.