Two of the biggest tech companies have confirmed the government and foreign agencies can spy on you using your smartphone. And they’re likely helping.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the Justice Department last Wednesday revealing unidentified foreign governments are asking Apple and Google for push notification data on you. That data can contain your personal information.
According to a Reuters report, the U.S. government is likely spying on you too. They spoke to a source who they say is close to the subject. That unnamed source claims federal agencies have asked both companies for push notification metadata.
How Apple and Google are using push notifications to spy on you
If you own a smartphone, you have probably received a push notification. It’s the alert you receive on your phone when you get a text message, a new email, or an update from your favorite mobile game.
Those push notifications contain data. That data can tell Apple or Google who’s receiving the notification, what app is sending it, and what device the user has. Some of the metadata found in push notifications can even tell you the contents of a text message.
Foreign entities and some U.S. agencies can then request that data. When Senator Wyden asked, both companies said they were under a gag order and could not discuss information relating to push notification data.
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What Apple and Google are doing to be more transparent
How to keep yourself safe
While Google and Apple have tools and safeguards to help make sure your data stays private, there are steps you can take to stop your push notification data from being shared. Namely, you can turn off push notifications. Apple and Google can’t share information they don’t have.
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How to turn off push notifications on iPhone
- Go into the Settings app
- Select Notifications
- Select an app you receive push notifications from, for example, Google
- Toggle off Allow Notifications
How to turn off push notifications on Android
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer
- Go into the Settings app
- Select Notifications
- Select Manage App Notifications or More
- Deselect apps you receive push notifications, for example Gmail
What if I choose to allow push notifications
Some of you may still choose to allow push notifications for various reasons, such as convenience, personalization, or engagement. However, you should be aware of the potential risks of sharing your data. To protect yourself, you can take some measures, such as:
- Reviewing the privacy policies and permissions of the apps and services you use, and opting out of any data collection or sharing that you are not comfortable with.
- Limiting the number and frequency of push notifications you receive, and deleting or disabling any apps or services that you do not use or trust.
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Additional data protection measures
While the methods mentioned above can help protect your data, they are not foolproof. If you are worried, and you should be, that Google and Apple are secretly helping governments spy on your smartphone, here are some additional steps you can take to protect your data and privacy. However, none of these methods are foolproof or guaranteed to work, and some of them may have drawbacks or limitations.
1) Use privacy tools and practices. to protect you from the data collection of Google and Apple.
2) Use end-to-end encrypted messaging apps such as Signal or Telegram to communicate securely with your contacts. These apps do not store your messages on their servers and do not share your metadata with anyone.
3) Use a password manager to create and store strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. This can prevent hackers from accessing your accounts with stolen or guessed passwords.
4) You should also enable two-factor authentication whenever possible to add an extra layer of security.
5) Review your app permissions and privacy settings regularly and limit the access that apps have to your personal data, location, camera, microphone, etc. You can also delete any apps that you do not use or trust.
6) Avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments in emails or messages that could contain malware or phishing attempts. You should also update your software and apps regularly to fix any security vulnerabilities.
Taking these steps can help enhance your data privacy and security in the face of potential surveillance by tech giants like Apple and Google.
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How to check if your data has been compromised on the dark web
With news emerging that both Apple and Google have been cooperating with governments and foreign agencies to access sensitive user data through smartphones, it’s never been more critical to be vigilant about your online privacy. While the extent of this surveillance remains unclear, one alarming detail has become apparent: push notification data, potentially containing your personal information, may be compromised.
These developments highlight the importance of taking proactive measures to protect your digital footprint. To do so, you can go to haveibeenpwned.com and enter your email address into the search bar. The website will search to see what data of yours is out there and display if there were data breaches associated with your email address on various sites. You may have even received an email from the website already saying that some of your data was stolen, and you should look into this immediately if that is the case.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The fact that two of the biggest names in tech are potentially helping the government keep track of you is startling. But when you start to consider foreign entities might be using that same information to spy on you, it gets even more frightening. It’s important to remember that there’s no right to privacy. So it’s up to you to make sure your data stays safe.
Are you less likely to use Apple and Google products? What steps are you taking to keep your data safe? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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