Google wins Spirit data for AI after unions secure worker privacy deal

Google’s $10 million Spirit data deal clears privacy hurdle with union protections

Google’s plan to buy Spirit Airlines data for AI training advanced after the Association of Flight Attendants and other unions reached a deal to protect former staff’s personal data, calling it a historic win for worker privacy. After Spirit shut down in May, its assets were auctioned and Google won the bid to pay $10 million for 500 million Microsoft Teams chats, 100 million emails and other internal documents. The sale had been held up in bankruptcy court over privacy concerns, and 121 members of Congress led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren raised objections last month. A court-appointed privacy ombudsman recommended approval after data on 97 million Spirit customers was excluded. The agreement excludes employees’ medical and disability history, drug or alcohol testing records and payroll records, and bars Google from reidentifying the data.

Google’s $10 million plan to buy Spirit’s data and use it to train AI cleared one of its last big hurdles →

Topics: GoogleAI copyright

Spain’s AEPD opens TikTok probe but rejects government demand to block app

Spain’s data protection watchdog AEPD said it launched a probe into the alleged proliferation of child sexual abuse material on TikTok after an investigation by Spanish outlet Maldita.es documented 1,183 explicit posts. The agency rejected the government’s demand to temporarily block the app in Spain, opting instead for measures targeting specific content. It said it would ask Maldita.es for the identified links and request that TikTok provide information on removal measures, then take concrete, proportionate and appropriate steps such as blocking access to links and specific content involving unlawful treatment of minors’ data. The AEPD noted TikTok’s lead privacy regulator in Europe is Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which limited its powers, and said it would share information with Irish authorities, other European regulators and the European Commission. Spain’s attorney general separately ordered the cybercrimes prosecutor to investigate potential crimes related to the material.

Spanish watchdog opens TikTok probe but denies government demand to block app →

Topics: TikTokChildren's online safety

Flock backs state rules for license plate cameras but opposes warrant requirement

Flock policy director Andrea Korb told an R Street Institute webinar that the company supports state-by-state legislation governing its license plate-reading cameras, with a wave of bills expected in 2027. Korb backed independent third-party audits, already in place in Minnesota, but argued that requiring police to obtain warrants before searching the databases would burden officers and substantially reduce the technology’s effectiveness. Emily Grimmius, a privacy policy analyst at the Libertas Institute, countered that audits identify problems after they happen whereas warrants could prevent civil rights violations; she is working on Utah legislation requiring warrants except in emergencies, approval before camera installations, regular audits and stronger penalties for misuse. Flock announced changes including reducing its default data retention period from 30 days to seven, allowing customers to restrict which offense categories other agencies can investigate, and requiring automated misuse detection and case codes for law enforcement searches by year’s end. Two Flock cameras reappeared in Dayton, Minnesota, after the city canceled its contract.

Flock backs state rules for its license plate cameras, but draws the line at warrants →

Topics: Flock SafetyLicense plate readers (ALPR)

Icepick dataset from DHS breach mapped to dozens of Southern California sites

L.A. TACO reported the release of Icepick, also known as DoP2, a dataset compiled from a breach of the Department of Homeland Security by a group calling itself the Department of Peace. According to Distributed Denial of Secrets, which shared and released the database, it contains information on nearly a fifth of all DHS employees. Investigative journalist and hacktivist maia arson crimew compiled it into a searchable database. Nearly two weeks later, L.A. TACO compiled location data from Icepick into a map placing dozens upon dozens of sites in Southern California that DHS uses, or has used, to operate at least one of its departments, including DHS headquarters, ICE, Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations. Each data point includes the office or building name, the operating department and the number of employees listed. The data also reveals previously unknown locations, including a warehouse in El Cajon described as a special operations facility.

We Mapped All the Random Spots In California That DHS Operates From, Revealed By the Latest Hack →

Topics: Government agency data breachesICE and DHS immigration surveillance

Ten Google privacy settings worth checking, from Gmail aliases to ad personalization

A roundup of Google privacy tips highlights settings users can adjust. Gmail supports unlimited aliases by adding a plus symbol and a word before the @ symbol, so mail still arrives in the main inbox while revealing which services sold the address to spammers. A Proton Mail account can be linked to Gmail to apply its privacy protections, including blocking email trackers. Gmail’s web view shows session logs via a Details button below Last account activity, listing devices, apps and locations recently logged in from. Apps with access to a Google account can be reviewed on a separate settings page, and personalized search recommendations can be disabled in Google Search and Play Store personalization on Android. Web & App Activity, which includes search history and voice data, is on by default and can be turned off, as can Timeline, personalized ads and Gmail Smart features.

10 Google Privacy Hacks Everyone Should Know →

Topics: Google