ALBANY — New York state's attorney general and governor have launched an investigation into the recent complaints regarding Apple's FaceTime privacy issues and say they are concerned about what they consider the company's slow response time in fixing the FaceTime bug and failure to warn consumers.
The FaceTime privacy investigation stems from users who reported being able to receive audio as well as video from other people's devices before a FaceTime call is accepted or declined, according to the New York Attorney General's Office.
“This FaceTime breach is a serious threat to the security and privacy of the millions of New Yorkers who have put their trust in Apple and its products over the years," New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. "My office will be conducting a thorough investigation into Apple’s response to the situation, and will evaluate the company’s actions in relation to the laws set forth by the state of New York. We must use every tool at our disposal to ensure that consumers are always protected.”
“New Yorkers deserve to know that their phones are safe and cannot be used against them,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added. “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.”
The New York Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection is taking complaints regarding the FaceTime bug, James' office said.