YouCanLearnThis.com

Useful Tech Tips for Non-Techies

  • Home
  • Useful Tech Tips
  • Tech News
  • iPhone Photography
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

iPhone Photos Shared Illegally

By iPad Pete 2 Comments

When your iPhone needs to be repaired it can feel like your whole world is being upended. Your entire life is in there, names, phone numbers, excessive photos of your dog (Just me? Okay, sure.) But in 2106, a young woman really had her entire life upended when she needed her iPhone repaired. 

The then 21-year-old student from Oregon sent her iPhone to be repaired at a facility owned by California company Pegatron. While her iPhone was in for service, two employees gained access to her personal photos and, posing as the student, uploaded explicit photos and a video to her Facebook page. Approximately 10 images of the student in different stages of undress and a sex video were on her Facebook account until friends notified her that they had been published. 

After a brief internal investigation, the technicians responsible were fired and may still face criminal charges for their actions. Pegatron settled separately with the student prior to the recent action from the tech giant. 

The lawsuit against Apple alleged invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. Which would be hard to argue against after having your personal photos splashed about on social media. Details of the case are covered by a non-disclosure agreement, but the settlement is said to be in the millions and was presented by the student’s counsel as an opportunity to mitigate further negative publicity. 

Apple is well known for fighting against allowing independent businesses to repair or service their products because of privacy risks. However, this incident happened at a company contracted by Apple to provide repair services. The fact that it happened at an Apple-authorized business may have influenced their decision to settle. 

In a statement to The Telegraph, Apple said: “We take the privacy and security of our customers’ data extremely seriously and have a number of protocols in place to ensure data is protected throughout the repair process.  When we learned of this egregious violation of our policies at one of our vendors in 2016, we took immediate action and have since continued to strengthen our vendor protocols.”

If you need to send your iPhone for repair or leave it at a facility for service, protect your information and privacy by resetting the device to factory settings. You can back up all your data prior to reset and download your information when you have your phone safely back in your hands. 

The world can be a scary place, friends. Look both ways before you cross the street and protect your personal information from prying eyes.  

Related Posts:

  1. How to Find Photos & Videos Shared in Messaging Apps Whether you’re trying to remember that hilarious meme you sent to your friends last week or you want to find that photo of your new puppy that you sent to...
  2. Take photos while recording video on iPhone or iPad Did you know that you can take photos while recording video? Discover how easy it is with this tutorial video....
  3. Unlock 3 Hidden iPhone Camera Settings for Stunning Photos! iPhone cameras are extremely powerful and feature-rich. Uncovering your iPhone camera’s hidden tricks can help you take stunning photos and videos that will last a lifetime. In this post, we’ll...
  4. How to Customize Memories in Photos on iPhone & iPad The Photos app automatically creates collections of your favorite people, places, and events, called Memories. You can customize a memory with a different filter, song, title, and more....

Filed Under: Features, iPhone Photography, Tech News

Comments

  1. Mike+Schuttler says

    at

    Shucks, I thought you were going to show those photos.

    Reply
  2. Lorry says

    at

    How do you back up all the data? Then, how to download or, reload it?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Tech Tips

Block Pop-Ups on Your iPhone Safari Browser

How to Block Pop-Ups on Your iPhone Safari Browser

Useful Siri Commands

7 Most Useful Siri Commands Everyone Should Know

iPhone iOS 16.3 Update Features

New iPhone Features and Fixes Released in iOS 16.3

PayPal Hit By Credential Stuffing Attack – Find Out What You Should Do Now!

How to Remove Your Personal Information from Google Searches

AirTag Saves Dog from Floodwaters

Netflix Cracking Down on Password Sharing

Is the Cloud Safe for Personal Information?

Scam Alert: Amazon Delivers Dog Food Instead of iPhone

Save Money on Streaming with This Simple Trick

Elon Musk Sets New World Record (And It’s Not a Good Thing)

Can Anyone Access Your iPhone While You Sleep? (Check This Hidden Setting!)

About · Contact Us · Get Free Daily Tech Tips
Copyright © 2023 · YouCanLearnThis.com