Apple is denying claims that customers were victims of a “photo-sharing” ring in which its retail store employees in Brisbane took and circulated photos of female customers and staff.
The employees were fired for the inappropriate behavior, which included ranking the victims out of 10.
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According to Australian newspaper, the Courier-Mail (paywall), the behavior was uncovered when a staff member spotted a technician looking through a customer’s phone in the repair room at the Brisbane Apple store. The story also potentially involves Apple stores in Queensland and Sydney.
The paper reported that customers had photos taken from their phones and were also illicitly photographed, although Apple is suggesting this isn’t the case.
“Based on our investigation thus far, we have seen no evidence that customer data or photos were inappropriately transferred or that anyone was photographed by these former employees,” the company said. “We have met with our store team to let them know about the investigation and inform them about the steps Apple is taking to protect their privacy.”
Apple has said that “several employees” were let go from their jobs as a result, but has declined to say how many.
Source: Guardian
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
