FaceTime Bug Allegedly Allowed Secret Recording of Deposition and More

FaceTime multiplied its coolness, allowing more than one person to videochat at a time.

Unfortunately, it had a bug that multiplied problems for FaceTime users. In Texas, a lawyer sued Apple over the bug.

The lawsuit says FaceTime recorded a private deposition. If only that were all that FaceTime secretly recorded ...

Secret Recordings

Apple disabled group FaceTime after a 14-year-old kid discovered the problem. Basically, people could surreptitiously record a conversation by adding another person's number to a streaming videochat.

In the Texas case, it apparently allowed recording of a private deposition. The plaintiff's attorney says it caused "permanent and continuous injuries, pain and suffering and emotional trauma."

But that's not as bad as this: the New York attorney general is investigating the bug. The AG wants to know why Apple failed to warn consumers.

"New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between their private communications & their privacy rights," Attorney General Letitia James announced.

The Bug, the Buzz

The bug has caused a lot of buzz, but not the kind Apple likes. Besides the lawsuit and the investigation, companies are squashing FaceTime at work.

Forbes writer Chloe Demrovsky says the bug puts businesses at risk. She offers ways to deal with it:

• Make sure everybody knows about the problem
• Consider device-free meetings
• Learn from the experience

Demrovsky didn't suggest people throw out their Apple phones. But Samsung might.

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