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Google wins Spirit Airlines workforce data at auction, drawing flight attendant alarm

NEW YORK, Aug. 20. Google won an auction last Friday to acquire a dataset covering nearly the full employment and workplace record of Spirit Airlines, the reported terms show. Flight attendants expressed alarm after the deal came to light.

By Hannah Voss2 min readGOOGL
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Key takeaways

  • Google won an auction last Friday to acquire a dataset covering nearly the full employment and workplace record of Spirit Airlines.
  • The dataset excludes customer data and personal information, covering only Spirit's employment history and internal workplace records.
  • Google agreed to use a court-appointed ombudsman to oversee removal of personally identifying information before any transfer takes place.
  • Google is required to hold the data in de-identified form only and agreed to never intentionally re-identify individuals from the records.
  • Flight attendants expressed alarm over Google's role as buyer and the scale of the workforce records changing hands.

NEW YORK, Aug. 20. Google won an auction last Friday to acquire a dataset covering nearly the full employment and workplace record of Spirit Airlines, the reported terms show. Flight attendants expressed alarm after the deal came to light.

The dataset excludes customer data and personal information. It covers Spirit's employment history and internal workplace records across what the reporting describes as nearly the entire airline.

Google agreed to use a court-appointed ombudsman to oversee removal of personally identifying information from the dataset before any transfer takes place, with the stated purpose of ensuring no individual can be identified from the records Google receives.

After delivery, Google is required to hold the data in de-identified form only. The company also agreed to never intentionally re-identify individuals from the stripped records. If Google grants outside parties access to the dataset, those third parties face the same contractual restrictions, according to the reported conditions of the sale.

Flight attendants' concern centered on Google's role as buyer and on the scale of the workforce records changing hands. The ombudsman requirement and re-identification ban apply regardless of who ultimately accesses the data.

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Frequently asked

What did Google acquire from Spirit Airlines?

Google won an auction to acquire a dataset covering nearly the entire airline's employment history and internal workplace records, excluding customer data and personal information.

How is individuals' privacy being protected in the deal?

A court-appointed ombudsman will oversee removal of personally identifying information before transfer, and Google must hold the data in de-identified form and never intentionally re-identify individuals.

Do the privacy restrictions apply to third parties?

Yes, if Google grants outside parties access to the dataset, those third parties face the same contractual restrictions, and the ombudsman requirement and re-identification ban apply regardless of who accesses the data.

Why did flight attendants express alarm?

Their concern centered on Google's role as the buyer and on the scale of the workforce records changing hands.