Senator Ron Wyden has raised concerns in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, warning that foreign governments may be engaging in espionage on smartphone users by compelling Apple and Google to hand over payment notification records, according to a report by CNBC. Wyden, a senator from Oregon, revealed that his office investigated claims from last year asserting that government agencies were “requesting” these records from the tech giants. He explained in a letter sent on Wednesday that since instant notifications pass through Apple and Google servers, they could potentially reveal how individuals use specific applications.
Wyden emphasized that governments could force Apple and Google to disclose these records, similar to how they can compel the release of other user-related information, but the data regarding payment notification records cannot be made public under U.S. laws. He urged for transparency, stating, “Apple and Google should be allowed to be transparent about the legal demands they receive, particularly from foreign governments, just as companies regularly notify users of other types of government requests for data.”
He continued, “I would like to request the Justice Department to eliminate or modify any policies that impede this transparency.” Wyden did not specify which governments sought payment notification records from Apple and Google, and his office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The report, citing a Reuters source, mentioned that both foreign and U.S. government agencies had sought information from Apple and Google regarding instant notifications. For instance, agencies requested data that could assist in linking unidentified users on messaging apps to specific Apple and Google accounts for the purpose of identification.
An Apple spokesperson informed CNBC that in such cases, the federal government prohibited them from sharing any information. The spokesperson stated, “In these cases, the federal government has prohibited us from sharing any information. We are now updating our transparency reports to detail these types of requests.” A Google spokesperson expressed the company’s commitment to transparency, stating, “We were the first major company to publish a public transparency report that details the number and types of government requests we receive for user data, including the requests Senator Wyden referred to.” The report did not clarify where the companies publish this information about government requests for payment notification records and whether it is publicly accessible or restricted.
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