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A significant bug has been discovered in FaceTime and is currently spreading virally over social media. The bug lets you call anyone with FaceTime, and immediately hear the audio coming from their phone — before the person on the other end has accepted or rejected the incoming call, according to reports.
In response, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office would be “launching an investigation into Apple’s failure to warn consumers about the FaceTime privacy breach and their slow response to addressing the issue. She noted that reports show that Apple was informed more than a week before the flaw was spread on social media.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation into Apple's response to the situation & will evaluate their actions in relation to the law,” she posted on Twitter. “New Yorkers shouldn’t have to choose between their private communications and their privacy rights. The breach is a serious threat to the security and privacy of millions of New Yorkers who trusted Apple. We must use every tool at our disposal to ensure consumers are protected.”
Following the breach, Apple disabled Group Time functionality and temporarily closed the bug. A software update is expected to be made this week to patch the bug.
“New Yorkers deserve to know that their phones are safe and cannot be used against them,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “In the wake of this egregious bug that put the privacy of New Yorkers at risk, I am calling on the Attorney General to investigate this serious consumer rights issue. We need a full accounting of the facts to confirm businesses are abiding by New York consumer protection laws and to help make sure this type of privacy breach does not happen again.”
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