Governments in several countries monitor smartphone users through push notifications from their applications, said Senator Ron Wyden, without specifying which countries we are talking about.
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Wyden noted that representatives of several foreign governments are demanding that Google and Apple provide user data. While the letter is short on details, it does address one way government authorities can track smartphones.
Apps of all types use push notifications to alert users about incoming messages, breaking news, and other updates. These are audio signals or visual indicators that a user receives when they receive an email or when the sports team they support wins.
Users often do not know that almost all of these notifications go through Google or Apple servers.
This gives the two companies a unique view of the traffic flowing from those apps to users, and puts them in a “unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users use specific apps,” Wyden said.
He called on the Justice Department to “rescind or modify any policy” that prevents public discussion of issues related to the surveillance of people through push notifications.
Apple said Wyden’s letter gives it an opportunity to share more information with the public about how governments monitor push notifications.
“In this case, the federal government has prohibited us from sharing any information,” the company said in a statement. “Now that this method has been made public, we are updating our transparency reports to detail such requests.”
Google said it shares Wyden’s commitment to “informing users about queries like these.”
The Justice Department declined to comment on the surveillance of push notifications, saying it prevented Apple or Google from discussing the issue.
In his letter, Wyden said he received a “tip” that became his source of information. His office did not provide additional information on this matter.
