Google Edges Closer to Buying Spirit Airlines’ Old Data
Google has moved closer to acquiring Spirit Airlines' old data after a court-appointed consumer privacy official recommended approving the sale. Lucy Thomson, the consumer privacy ombudsman, cited steps taken by Spirit and Google to protect passenger privacy, including revising the scope of personal data included in the sale and hiring Tonic.ai to de-identify sensitive information.
The filing noted that the changes would significantly reduce risks to the 97 million consumers whose data was collected by Spirit for travel bookings. Google originally won an auction for the data with a $10 million bid in May, following Spirit Airlines' shutdown. The tech giant claims the data will help improve its products and AI models.
Unions representing Spirit flight attendants and pilots have objected to the sale, arguing it could undermine their privacy and even hinder aviation safety. The objection was joined by the union representing American Airlines pilots, including those who formerly worked for Spirit. The ombudsman clarified that her review did not cover privacy risks to employees.
A court hearing on the proposed sale is scheduled for October 14. If other bids, such as those from AI training companies Mercor and Micro1, are considered, additional privacy reviews would be required. The ombudsman also raised concerns about a supply chain security incident at Mercor earlier this year.