Lawmakers challenge Google’s $10M bid for Spirit Airlines employee data

More than 120 U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Steven Horsford, are challenging Google’s $10 million bid to acquire deidentified workplace data from the bankrupt Spirit Airlines.

The dataset includes approximately 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams messages, and various records regarding payroll, tax details, medical accommodations, and disciplinary files. While the deal excludes passenger profiles, lawmakers argue that the employee data could still be used to identify individuals when linked with other datasets, potentially exposing sensitive information to artificial intelligence systems.

Google has stated it is not seeking personally identifiable information and that a third party, Tonic.ai, will be used to scrub the data before transfer to help improve its products and AI models. The transaction remains subject to court approval, with a bankruptcy hearing scheduled for October 14.