Apple distributors in China arrested for selling data

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iPhone 6s
Oh dear.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple distributors in a coastal province in China have been arrested for allegedly trying to sell iPhone user data, according to reports.

Police in Zhejiang rounded up 22, accusing the distributors of searching an internal Apple database for Apple IDS and phone numbers. Prices for the data were cheap, ranging from a U.S. dollar equivalent of $1.50 to $26.

However, according to a report in AppleInsider, the distributors collectively made 50 million yuan or $7.3 million by the time police made the arrests.

Neither Apple or Chinese authorities have made available information about the number of affected accounts or whether any victims were outside of China.

Questions remain on how the distributors had access to the database, but the AppleInsider report said China has had problems with Apple IDs being sold on the black market, often stolen by hackers and acquired from methods like phishing schemes.

Source: AppleInsider

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