Security· August 18, 2026 at 06:43 a.m.
Google Acquires Deidentified Data from Defunct Airline Spirit for AI Improvement
Key takeaways
- Google acquired Spirit's deidentified data for $10 million
- The data includes over 100 million emails and millions of customer service records
- Google intends to use the data to improve its AI services
Google has purchased a vast trove of deidentified data from the defunct US airline Spirit, including over 100 million emails and millions of customer service calls and records. The acquisition cost $10 million and is intended to improve Google's AI services. The underbidder was Mercor, a company that provides data for training AI models, indicating the value of such data in this field. Google has promised to scrub any personal identifiable information (PII) found in the trove.
