The FBI Can Read Your Push Notifications

The FBI has been accessing push notifications from smartphones without a warrant. The bureau exploits a gap in how Apple and Google handle these messages—they sit on company servers before delivery, giving federal agents a legal opening to demand them without judicial oversight.

Push notifications aren’t encrypted end-to-end like iMessage or Signal. Once Apple or Google receive them from an app developer, the tech giants can be compelled to hand them over to law enforcement. The FBI has used this method to read notifications from encrypted messaging apps, weather services, and banking platforms.

This matters because push notifications often contain sensitive information: two-factor authentication codes, location data, financial alerts. Even though the notification itself might be brief, it reveals what apps you use and when you use them.

In other tech news this week: Iran’s internet blackout has now lasted over 1,000 hours. Cryptocurrency scams stole a record amount from Americans in 2025. And major platforms continue wrestling with misinformation as election season heats up.