Edward Snowden Slams Apple, Google Amid DOJ Data Sharing Accusations, Says Tech Giants Have 'Privacy-Hostile Design'

Former U.S. intelligence contractor and renowned whistleblower, Edward Snowden, has condemned Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google and Apple Inc. AAPL in the wake of accusations that the tech giants have been sharing push notification data with the Department of Justice. 

What Happened: Over the weekend, Snowden responded to a post that shared the letter Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote to the DOJ, asking the department to allow Google and Apple to inform their customers and the general public about “demands for smartphone app notification records.”

Snowden said that the government’s interest in Google and Apple’s data collection wasn’t merely an act of surveillance on the companies themselves but a direct invasion of individuals’ privacy.