Apple FaceTime Users with iOS 12.1 Face Serious Bug Affecting Privacy

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YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BRING YOUR IPHONE INTO THE BATHROOM ANYWAY, BUT NOW YOU REALLY HAVE A REASON TO KEEP IT OUT OF THE BATHROOM

Apple users are facing news, on Tuesday January 29, 2019, of a FaceTime bug that exists on iOS devices using iOS 12.1 or later. Apple Facetime customers using a new Facetime Chat feature discovered a software bug that lets people listen in on other users

The bug is a major gaffe for Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who frequently touts the superiority of Apple’s privacy technology and while criticizing other companies, such as Facebook.

The bug allows a user to call someone on FaceTime, but the caller automatically begins hearing the recipient before the person at the other end picks up the call. The recipient isn’t aware that the Facetime caller can hear the recipient’s opened mic.

The bug rears its ugly head when a user creates a FaceTime conference call, puts in their phone number, and then adds the number of another person (recipient). The bug also allows video to be sent, unknowingly, if the other user (recipient) clicks either their power button or one of the volume controls.

Users can disable the FaceTime app, by going to Settings, selecting FaceTime and then toggling Facebook off until a patch has been issued.

The issue comes at a critical juncture for Apple, which has been beset by slowing iPhone sales. The company announced its embarrassing battery issue last year (auto-slowing of iPhones when battery power was low), and this year claimed it lost a lot of money installing new batteries for affected iPhones at a large discount. Earlier in January 2019, Apple issued an update to its quarterly revenue projections, saying it would miss fiscal first-quarter estimates by as much as $9 billion, blaming it on the Trump administration’s trade war with China. Apple is also facing criticism of its repair policies, and is facing general customer dissatisfaction (CARDINAL NEWS | Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Reality-Bending Interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Unaware of the Anti-Apple Army).

Some might call it Karma, but the Facetime bug occurred on Data Privacy Day, a cornerstone for Apple and a day when CEO Tim Cook the tweet about privacy, writing “the dangers are real and the consequences are too important.”

APPLE HASN’T WARNED CUSTOMERS THAT “WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS” MIGHT NOT BE TRUE.

FaceTime Issue on Apple System Status
FaceTime Issue on Apple System Status.
Apple alert doesn't warn customers that FaceTime Issue could have seriously violated their privacy
Apple alert doesn’t warn customers that FaceTime Issue could have seriously violated their privacy.

SOURCE: Apple System Status — apple.com/support/systemstatus

MORE FACETIME INFO BELOW ADS …




^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^

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Tim Cook on Twitter …

We must keep fighting for the kind of world we want to live in. On this #DataPrivacyDay let us all insist on action and reform for vital privacy protections. The dangers are real and the consequences are too important.

— @tim_cook


Apple’s online support page only stated there was a technical issue with the application and that Group Facetime “is temporarily unavailable.” There was no notice on the front page of Apple’s official website or their official Facebook page. However, the problem may be temporarily fixed by Apple, since they turned off Group Chat on Facebook in response to the issue. Apple is reporting they will provide an update to the iOS to fix the bug.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement that warned people about the bug, urging people to disable the app until Apple fixes it.

“The FaceTime bug is an egregious breach of privacy that puts New Yorkers at risk,” Governor Cuomo said in the statement. “In New York, we take consumer rights very seriously and I am deeply concerned by this irresponsible bug that can be exploited for unscrupulous purposes. In light of this bug, I advise New Yorkers to disable their FaceTime app until a fix is made available, and I urge Apple to release the fix without delay.”

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, also advised users to disable FaceTime until Apple fixes the issue.

As of 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had not commented on the Facetime bug on his official Facebook page.









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