Apple and Google asked whether they secretly spy on users by US lawmakers

Apple and Google must tell users how much they are spying on them, according to US lawmakers. The Energy and Commerce Committee has written to the heads of both companies to demand they make clear whether iPhones and Android devices are collecting information about their users, and how that data is used. The letters suggest that devices might be tracking their users, including tracking their location and listening in to what they are doing through their microphone. It asks that both companies make clear their data policies, including whether that information is tracked and who it might be passed on to. The letters make reference to suggestions that – despite tech companies' claim that devices only listen if they hear their wake word – they are actually collecting more audio than that and that unknown companies might have access to recordings of people's personal lives.