Apple has reportedly paid a million-dollar settlement deal to an iPhone owner, after two service centre executives reportedly posted nude photos and videos on her Facebook profile, after she sent it for repair. The incident, reported first by The Telegraph in UK, prompted Apple to settle the case and sign a confidentiality clause with the user, who was a student in California, USA. The exact settlement amount remains unclear, although the source report states that the student’s lawyers had filed a $5 million (approx. Rs 36 crore) claim in court due to “severe mental harassment”. Apple has confirmed the settlement suit to The Telegraph, and the report further states that after an “exhaustive” investigation into the matter conducted by Apple, two executives from the contracted Apple service centre in California have been fired.
The incident marks an unusual blot in Apple’s typical high standards of service. The Cupertino giant typically holds a stronger hold on its standards of after-sales service, for which it employs multiple contractors around the world. For this particular project, Apple had signed with Pegatron, where the two now-fired executives were employed. Pegatron, on this note, has reportedly paid the entire settlement cost to Apple as a result of its role in the ordeal. The report further claims that even though Pegatron’s insurer refused coverage of the lawsuit, the issue has now been resolved.
When iPhones are brought in for service and repair, many service centres often ask for device passcodes, which would be necessary in order to carry out the repairs and services in question. This, however, does represent a risk in terms of private data on the phone — which is where Apple’s contractor clauses kick in. The terms of the case, and the exact terms of the consequences faced by the two service centre employees who violated their employment terms, remain under wraps at the moment.
The fired employees seemingly uploaded 10 photos and videos, depicting the student “in various stages of undress”. The iPhone’s owner was alerted only when her peers alerted her to unusual activity on her account, which prompted the case to ensue. The ordeal dates from back in 2016, and Apple ensured a confidentiality clause in the settlement deal to prevent damages to its “business reputation”. Even the agreement, which was verified by The Telegraph, mentioned Apple as a “customer”, without specifying its name explicitly.
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