Google's $10 Million Purchase of Spirit Airlines Data Raises Concerns From US Lawmakers

MT newswire2026/10/09 09:08

05:08 AM EDT, 10/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Alphabet-owned (GOOG, GOOGL) Google's $10 million acquisition of bankrupt Spirit Airlines' internal data has come under scrutiny from more than 120 US lawmakers on privacy-related concerns, a letter showed Thursday. The letter, led by Democratic Congressman Steven Horsford and Senator Elizabeth Warren, noted that the proposed sale would include about 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams messages, employee records, timecard records, payroll and tax information, and employment contracts. They warned that the records could contain sensitive details, including medical information and accommodation requests, according to the letter. The letter said Google said it would exclude personally identifiable information and scrub the data with a third party before transfer. However, the lawmakers argued that removing names and other direct identifiers may not prevent AI systems from connecting information across large datasets and identifying individuals or groups of workers. The letter called on Google to exclude employee information to the "greatest extent possible", agree on a de-identification protocol with affected employees, and protect sensitive information. Google did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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