Hello everyone! Today is #DataPrivacyDay, and many corporate leaders, including Tim Cook, shared how much they value customers' privacy. In a recent Tweet, the Apple CEO said this,
However, hours after the Tweet was posted, a FaceTime bug was exposed. The bug allows the caller to listen on the receiver's handset microphone even though it is not answered. Under specific circumstances, the caller might even be able to connect to the receiver's camera and get a live video feed. This is found to be affecting both iOS and MacOS (iPhones, iPads and Macs with FaceTime feature are all affected).
I found a YouTube video from MacRumors which demonstrated the bug,
It is good to note that Apple had quickly disabled the "Group FaceTime" feature which seems to have prevented this bug from being exploited (which can be seen from Apple's service status page). Apple will then release an official software patch to fix the bug later this week. For Apple users who are still paranoid, you can follow the steps in this article to disable FaceTime.
Too Much of a Coincidence?
The bug was exposed on #DataPrivacyDay, hours after Tim Cook's Tweet saying that dangers and consequences on data privacy are real. It seems like a direct mockery on Apple and a huge slap on Tim Cook's face. Coincidentally, this bug is also exposed right before Apple's quarterly earning results release today.
Is this purely a coincidence? Or has someone found this bug way ahead of time and only chose to expose it today? Are there more of such "bugs" waiting to be exposed? We can only wait and see.
At this point I have a little conspiracy theory. What if this isn't simply a bug and is meant to be a "feature" for certain agencies to spy on the general public. That would be quite scary isn't it? Haha..
Conclusion
Apple has been under a lot of pressure lately. A recent warning on this quarter's earnings sent their stocks down by 10% in a day! With many other phone makers rising up with highly competitive products, I see Apple starting to lose their edge. In addition, the recent iPhone releases lacks innovation and breakthrough. With smartphones increasingly being commoditized, any other company's flagship phone is becoming comparable with the iPhone. Only time will tell if Apple is able to turn their enormous cash stockpile into something meaningful.
Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts on this incident. Are you an Apple user? Have you disabled FaceTime for now? Let me know!