In our digital day and age, smartphones are essentially an extension of ourselves. Most everything we do, whether for work or play, revolves around the communication and internet access that we have on our phones. One of the main ways our phone can become so personalized is the thousands of pictures we take to document our lives—even if those images are never meant to be shared.
Now, the privacy of some Apple customers’ iPhones was invaded and exploited in a nudes-sharing scandal at an Australian store.
According to a report by Metro UK, back in October, four male Apple store employees were accused of stealing customers’ nude photos from their phones while fixing them at the store’s signature Genius Bar.
Because Apple store employees commonly have customers unlock their phone before taking it to a back room for further examination, the four accused employees used this opportunity to steal over 100 explicit close-up photos of female customers over a period of time.
Apple Store Genius Room | Photos via Apple Gazette
The invasion of privacy was eventually put to an end when a fellow staff member walked in on one of the alleged perpetrators looking through a customer’s phone, which is against the company’s guidelines. The violation was reported, which was when the bigger scandal was brought to light.
Not only were the photos viewed without permission, but they were transferred off the device and then shared with other Apple staff members in the area.
Explicit Rating System
“One person would take a photo and add it to the chat,” an anonymous employee said, “and others would give the person or their butt or their boobs a rating out of 10 and they would add their own side commentary.”
According to the employee, female staff members felt uncomfortable because leadership will not reveal who stole the photos. Furthermore, the four male staffers have also been accused of taking photos of the female customers and female staff without their knowing.
Related: Pressing Send: Why Sexting Can Actually Be A Really Bad Idea
Apple released a statement to a local news outlet, saying, “Apple believes in treating everyone equally and with respect, and we do not tolerate behavior that goes against our values. We are investigating a violation of Apple’s business conduct policy at our store…where several employees have already been terminated as a result of our findings.”
They assure that steps have been taken to make sure this never happens again.
Why This Matters
Porn culture seems to be everywhere, from what’s in the films we watch to the employee conduct at the stores we go to.
In the world today, it seems to be a sort of game get nude photos of anyone and everyone, whether they consent or not.
Related: Boys From 70 Different Schools Create Massive Porn-Sharing Group Using Nudes of Girls at School
It’s possible porn has influenced an entire generation to believe that people are sex objects.
Where else would this type of behavior be considered sexy? Only in the world of porn is exploitation and privacy invasion a fanasty.
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