Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Anonymous 12/06/23 (Wed) 18:36:03 307a49 (19) No.20036538

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/06/apple-governments-surveil-push-notifications/

Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters).

iOS 16 4 Web Push

In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications put the companies "in a unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users are using particular apps," Wyden said. He asked the Department of Justice to "repeal or modify any policies" that hindered public discussions of push notification spying.

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https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/governments-spying-apple-google-users-through-push-notifications-us-senator-2023-12-06/

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This is a Dec. 6, 2023 letter from Oregon Senator Ron Wyden asking the Department of Justice to lift any existing restrictions around discussions of push notification surveillance.

Contributed by Raphael Satter

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24191267-wyden_smartphone_push_notification_surveillance_letter_to_doj_-_signed