The government may be spying on our smartphone usage through iOS and Android push notifications, according to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden's investigation and report to the Department of Justice (via Reuters).

In his letter, Senator Wyden warns that both Apple and Google could be forced to release push notification data. This data could include details about the app, the device, and the account of the person receiving the notification, as well as unencrypted content such as the app's back-end functionality and the actual text sent to the user.

Both Apple and Google told Wyden's team that federal gag orders prevent them from sharing information about requests related to push notification data.

The letter cites a "tipster" as the source of the information, but does not elaborate on who that tipster is. However, another source familiar with the matter admitted to Reuters that both foreign and U.S. government agencies have asked Apple and Google for metadata related to push notifications. The source did not confirm which foreign country is involved in the request, but said it is a democracy allied with the United States.

Senator Wyden urged the government to repeal or modify the policy preventing public discussion of this practice. Apple has since updated its law enforcement guidelines (PDF) to disclose how push notifications may be used and that this information "may be obtained through subpoena or stronger legal proceedings."

Google also stated, as did Senator Wyden, that it is "committed to keeping users informed about these requests."

The DOJ, however, has declined to comment on push notification monitoring or whether it has indeed issued gag orders against both Apple and Google.

Push notifications are one of those things that we as users never think too much about. Push notifications are the most common way for many apps to receive messages from a central source, often going through Google or Apple's servers before reaching the user. Apps are ideal targets for monitoring because they must be allowed to run by the user and represent many of the user's interests and thoughts.

Apple's law enforcement guidelines state that turning off push notifications suggests that this data is not transferred at the expense of not receiving a ping when a new message or update appears. For Apple, this is simply a matter of going into the Settings app, selecting Notifications, and switching each app off.

Android users, on the other hand, can enter the Settings app and then select Notifications. From that menu, they can enter "Manage App Notifications" and deselect individual apps. This may vary depending on the model of phone being used.

It is a good sign that both Google and Apple claim to be aiming for more openness in how data is used. However, the alleged use of gag orders needs to be monitored and investigated, as does the possibility of surveillance through push notifications in general.