Apple, Google forced to give governments user notifications data

Notification data – if obtained by a government – could reveal a user’s habits, communications and whereabouts. They’re potentially some of the most private pieces of information sent to a person’s smartphone, tablet or computer. — Photo by Franco Gancis on Unsplash

Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google have been forced by foreign governments to provide users’ data from notifications they get on their devices, according to a US lawmaker, drawing attention to a new privacy concern.

In a letter published Dec 6, US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon asked the Justice Department to allow the technology companies to discuss the practice publicly. The Democrat said the companies previously told him that the “practice is restricted from public release by the government”.