Android, iOS push notifications used by governments across the world to spy on us, Senator Wyden warns\u060c<\/p>\n
Senator Ron Wyden warns that governments around the world are spying on smartphone users through push notifications on iOS and Android devices.<\/p>\n
The US senator raised concerns in a letter to the Justice Department, saying foreign officials were demanding Google and Apple's data because almost all push notifications pass through Google and Apple's servers (via Reuters<\/a>).<\/p>\n This puts them \u201cin a unique position to facilitate government oversight of how users use certain applications,\u201d Wyden says. He called on the Justice Department to \u201crepeal or modify any policy\u201d that hindered public discussions about push notification spying.<\/p>\n In a statement, Apple said Wyden's tip gave them the green light to share more details about how governments monitor push notifications. \u201cIn this case, the federal government has prohibited us from sharing any information,\u201d the Cupertino giant said in a statement. \u201cNow that this method has become public, we are updating our transparency reports to detail these types of requests.\u201d The Justice Department did not return messages seeking comment on the push notification monitoring or whether it had blocked Apple or Google<\/a> from discussing it. Google did not return messages seeking comment.<\/p>\n Senator Ron Wyden cited a \u201ctip\u201d as the source of the latest information. His team did not provide additional comment, but internal sources confirmed that foreign and U.S. government agencies had requested metadata related to push notifications from Apple and Google. <\/p>\nApple says it was prohibited from sharing information<\/h2>\n
Who is the source?<\/h2>\n