Apple now requires court orders in U.S. to access push notification data

WASHINGTON — Apple is now requiring that U.S. law enforcement agencies obtain a court order for information on its customers’ push notifications, the alerts that iPhone apps send users that can reveal a lot about their online activity. The privacy-enhancing policy was added following last week’s disclosure by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden that his office had received a tip last year that government agencies in foreign countries were demanding smartphone push notification data from both Google and Apple. “Apple and Google are in a unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users are using particular apps,” Wyden wrote Attorney General Merrick Garland on Dec. 6. Google spokesman Matt Bryant said the company has always “required a court order” to compel disclosure of data associated with push notifications.