The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), along with Professor Seema Patel, filed an amicus brief on Thursday challenging the sale of Spirit Airlines employee data to Google as part of the airline's bankruptcy proceedings. The brief argues that the transfer of sensitive employee data for AI training raises serious privacy concerns that the bankruptcy court should not ignore.
The filing asks the court to reject the sale, contending that bankruptcy proceedings should not be used to override employees' privacy interests. EPIC warns that allowing such data to be sold would set a dangerous precedent for other companies in bankruptcy, turning personal information into a liquid asset for AI development.
The case highlights the growing tension between bankruptcy asset liquidation and data privacy. Its outcome could determine whether employee data can be treated as a sellable resource for AI training without explicit consent from the people involved.