Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online

[George K]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/06/06/apple-pays-millions-woman-explicit-photos-posted-online/

The tech giant agreed a settlement with the 21-year-old after two employees at a repair facility uploaded the images from a phone she had sent to Apple to be fixed, resulting in “severe emotional distress”.

The incident, which occurred in 2016 at a centre in California run by Pegatron, an Apple contractor, is one of the most significant privacy violations to be revealed at an iPhone repair facility.

Apple has often argued that its control over how its devices can be fixed helps to protect customers’ privacy, lobbying against legislation that would make it easier for third parties to fix its electronics.

Legal filings show that the unnamed victim, a university student in Oregon, sent her phone to Apple after it had stopped working.

While it was being fixed, the two technicians posted “10 photos of her in various stages of undress and a sex video” from her Facebook account, in a way that suggested she had uploaded them herself. The images were only removed after friends informed her that they had been posted.

The exact size of the settlement was not disclosed, but was described in filings as a “multimillion-dollar” sum, and that lawyers for the individual had demanded $5m (£3.6m) in negotiations.

The incident emerged during a legal dispute between Pegatron, which had reimbursed Apple for the settlement, and its insurers, which in turn refused to foot the bill. Apple was not directly named in the lawsuit, and was referred to simply as a “customer” throughout, in an effort to keep the matter confidential.

Apple was only recently named as the customer during a separate, unrelated lawsuit against the iPhone maker, and the company confirmed the incident to The Telgraph. The breach happened at a Pegatron facility in a suburb of the California city of Sacramento where Apple has a substantial presence.

In legal filings, Apple had argued that making details of the settlement public could “irreparably harm” it and cause “substantial business harm”. It insisted on confidentiality throughout, with many of the details of the incident sealed.

The incident triggered an “exhaustive” investigation by Apple, according to the filings, with the two individuals responsible for posting the images fired. The case was dismissed after Pegatron and the insurers settled privately.

[Jolly]

Glad she got her money, but I don't think I would put any more sex videos on my phone...

[George K]

@jolly said in Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online:

I don't think I would put any more sex videos on my phone.

Actually I posted this with @Doctor-Phibes in mind.

[Doctor Phibes]

@george-k said in Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online:

@jolly said in Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online:

I don't think I would put any more sex videos on my phone.

Actually I posted this with @Doctor-Phibes in mind.

I haven't got any sex videos on my phone.

I emailed them to your phone.

[George K]

It reminds me of the old joke:

"Hey buddy, got any sexy pictures of your wife?"

"NO!"

"Wanna buy some?"

[Horace]

A sad and disappointing story. But I think Apple will recover.

[jon-nyc]

TTIWWOP

[Loki]

I read somewhere that sexting is actually increasing so the horror stories haven’t had the desired impact.

I think people who terrorize other people emotionally, including ransomware should get augmented prison sentences when found guilty (IOW a special special place in hell).

[Catseye3]

@doctor-phibes said in Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online:

I haven't got any sex videos on my phone.
I emailed them to your phone.

[LuFins Dad]

Wait a minute...a few things were unclear...

They paid the 21 year old because of photos posted in 2016? Wouldn’t she have been underage and doesn’t that become child porn charges? Or was she 21 at the time of the pictures?

Also, they pulled the photos and video from her Facebook account? WTF?

[mark]

Apple hired some real "geniuses". lol

[89th]

@jon-nyc said in Apple pays millions to woman after explicit photos posted online:

TTIWWOP

+1