The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is opposing Google's $10 million plan to acquire a substantial dataset from the defunct Spirit Airlines, expressing concerns that sensitive employee information could be exposed. Google won a bankruptcy auction for the airline's internal data, which reportedly includes approximately 100 million emails and 500 million Microsoft Teams messages.
The union argues that despite Google's assurances that the data will be de-identified and will not include personal information, the sheer volume of records could still allow for the identification of individual workers. In a filing with the bankruptcy court, the union stated that the agreement's language does not sufficiently protect confidential records and that the de-identification process must maintain "referential integrity" across the dataset. Flight attendants fear that seemingly anonymous data points could be cross-referenced to identify individuals or small groups.
Google has stated that the acquired data is intended to help develop its artificial intelligence products and that no personal information will be received. A company spokesperson told the Daily Mail, "We will not receive any personal information from this dataset." The company also indicated that the data will undergo a rigorous third-party certification process to ensure compliance with privacy regulations.
The dispute has led to a delay in the bankruptcy court's approval of the sale. US Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane has postponed the hearing until September 9 to allow for consideration of the objections. The Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog had previously appointed an independent consumer privacy ombudsman to oversee privacy concerns related to Spirit's asset sale.
This situation highlights an increasing trend of AI companies seeking large-scale business data from defunct companies to improve their AI models. For Spirit Airlines, its bankruptcy has transformed years of internal communications and records into a valuable asset for the AI industry. Mercor, another AI company, was the second-highest bidder, offering $7.5 million for the data. Spirit Airlines ceased operations earlier this year after filing for bankruptcy for the second time.