I thought this may interest some of you
Apple may face legal action over policy that shuts iPhones down
Miles Brignall (Tje Guardian 9 February 2016)
Apple is under pressure to scrap its controversial policy of
permanently disabling iPhone 6 handsets that have been repaired by a
third party, following
a global consumer backlash and claims the company could be acting
illegally.
At least one firm of US lawyers has said it hopes to bring a class
action against the technology giant on behalf of people whose £500
phones have been
rendered worthless by an Apple software upgrade.
In the UK, London-based barrister Richard Colbey, of Lamb Chambers,
said Apple could be committing an offence under the Criminal Damage
Act 1971. The act
makes it an offence to intentionally destroy the property of another.
The Guardian revealed last week how thousands of iPhone 6 users found
an iOS software upgrade permanently disabled their phone. Apple's iOS
9 software
update, which it launched last autumn, will automatically disable or
"brick" the handset if it detects that the touch ID fingerprint
recognition and/or
the home button is not the original. Some users had had their phones
repaired by third-party contractors. Others had simply damaged their
handset. In most
cases the phone had been working normally for weeks or months before
the software upgrade left the handset shut down and displaying the
message "Error
53".
Apple has described this as a security feature, but some have
suggested the policy could be designed to increase revenues by forcing
anyone needing a repair
to their home button to pay the £236 the company charges in the UK.
People whose phones have been shut down and have complained at Apple
stores have been
told that nothing can be done and they must buy a new handset.
Consumers have reacted with disbelief and growing anger. "Show me
where, in consumer law, the vendor has the right to render inoperable
the hardware you
just bought," said one poster on the Guardian's website. The
Seattle-based law firm PCVA says it believes Apple's stance may
violate various consumer protection
laws in the US, and is offering to represent those affected for free.
Apple said: "This security measure is necessary to protect your device
and prevent
a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used. If a customer encounters
Error 53, we encourage them to contact Apple Support."
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