Google’s move to fuel its artificial intelligence ambitions with the internal data of the bankrupt Spirit Airlines has met stiff legal opposition. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) has filed an objection in US Bankruptcy Court, arguing that the $10 million deal lacks adequate privacy protections for sensitive employee information.
A Massive Digital Archive
The tech giant secured the data in a bankruptcy auction, outbidding AI recruiting firm Mercor. The acquisition includes a staggering volume of internal records: approximately 100 million emails and 500 million Microsoft Teams messages, alongside spreadsheets, calendars, and software code. The union contends that while the deal includes protections for consumer data, employee confidentiality has been largely ignored.
“The privacy architecture of this transaction is consumer-facing; its payload is disproportionately employee-facing,” the court filing states.
Google’s Defense and Union Skepticism
Google has disputed the risks, stating it has “no interest” in receiving personal identifying information (PII). A company spokesperson told Fortune that the dataset would be de-identified by an unnamed third party before Google receives it, emphasizing that the information is intended solely to improve AI models. However, the AFA-CWA remains skeptical, fearing that “referential integrity” within the data could still allow confidential records to be traced back to individuals.
The dispute is further complicated by the human cost of Spirit Airlines' collapse. AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson pointed out that many flight attendants are still owed compensation for accrued vacation and sick leave. “Attempting to now sell their data is adding insult to injury,” Nelson said. The union is not seeking to block the $10 million sale entirely but is demanding more rigorous measures to ensure employee anonymity is preserved.
