Google just scored a victory in its effort to buy old Spirit Airlines data.
A court-appointed consumer privacy official recommended approval of the sale in a filing Monday, citing steps Spirit and Google have taken to address passenger privacy risks.
Consumer Privacy Ombudsman Lucy Thomson said: “Both parties have taken appropriate steps to protect the privacy of spirits consumers’ personal data.”
The companies modified the scope of personal consumer data included in the sales to exclude passenger databases and hired a third party, Tonic.ai, to de-identify data that may contain consumers’ personal information, such as company emails, the filing said.
“These changes will significantly reduce the potential risk of harm to the 97 million consumers who provide personal data to Spirit for the purpose of booking air travel,” the filing reads, adding that any risk of loss of consumer privacy has been “eliminated or mitigated.”
After Spirit Airlines shut down in May, Google won an auction for its data for $10 million. The sale still requires court approval. Google says the data will help improve its products and artificial intelligence models.
The union representing Spirit flight attendants and pilots opposed the sale, saying it would compromise their privacy. The union representing American Airlines pilots, including about 700 who formerly worked for Spirit, added objections to a filing last week arguing the sale could impede aviation safety.
A representative for Spirit had no further comment when contacted by Business Insider. Google did not respond to a request for comment. The company previously said no personally identifiable information would be included in the sales.
“Google does not purchase any personal information from Spirit. Before Google receives the data, the information will be completely excluded or de-identified by an independent third party,” the company said.
The Ombudsman is appointed to assess specific risks to consumer privacy because the U.S. Bankruptcy Code provides for consumer protections in the sale of data. The ombudsman said her review did not include whether the sale posed any privacy risks to employees.
Lawyers previously told Business Insider that the proposed sale is a reminder that as an employee, your work data is generally not personal and belongs to the company.
While the ombudsman’s recommendations could help the company’s case, approval of the material sale ultimately rests with the courts. A hearing on the proposed sale is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Monday’s filing also said that if the court considers other data bids – including those from artificial intelligence training companies Mercor and Micro1 – it will require additional scrutiny of consumer privacy concerns. The ombudsman specifically said she wanted more information about a “supply chain security incident” that occurred at Mercor earlier this year.