Summary:
- US courts have received over 130 requests from law enforcement to access push notification data from phones, reported the Washington Post.
- This data can reveal a user’s location, device details, IP address, and more, even if they use encrypted messaging apps.
- This raises concerns about privacy, as prosecutors and foreign governments could potentially access this data for various reasons.
- While Apple and Google are promising more transparency regarding data requests, security experts highlight the potential for abuse by governments and marketing organizations.
Key Points:
- Push notification metadata includes information like the app receiving the notification, timestamp, and network details.
- This data is not encrypted and can be used to track user movements and activity.
- Law enforcement can use this data for investigations, but it also raises concerns about potential misuse by other parties.
- Experts recommend increased awareness about the information users share through push notifications and the potential privacy risks involved.
Time to put pressure on Apple and Google to encrypt these E2E.
Time to put pressure on Apple to allow other push providers and Google to open push providers interface.
Even better, to make other systems than iOS and Android being able to exist.
At this point I’m so irritated that I’ve had it with all the big tech companies and their proprietary horse shit, break up Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, ISPs, and all the ones I’m forgetting, turn the service side of them into public utilities like they should be. Fuck em