Apple is taking legal action against a former team member for allegedly divulging classified information, including undisclosed insights about Apple’s Journal application, the progress of the VisionOS headset, and more, to press members and workers of other organizations. The legal action, filed in a California state court ten days ago (24CV433319, pdf), claims that Andrew Aude also disclosed compliance strategies, employee counts, and other hardware features of Apple’s products.
According to previous reports by MacRumors, Apple’s complaint states that Aude admitted to leaking details with the intention of undermining products and features he disagreed with.
Apple referenced several communications in the legal filing:
From June to September 2023, Mr. Aude communicated with a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter, code-named “Homeboy,” over 1,400 times through an encrypted messaging platform. Aude also disclosed a final feature list for an upcoming Apple product to “Homeboy” over the phone and exchanged over 10,000 messages with another writer at The Information, traveling a long distance to meet her.
A screenshot of a secure message exchange on the Signal app between Aude and a WSJ reporter is included in the complaint, with Apple stating, “Aude frequently captured and stored screenshots of his conversations on his Apple-issued work iPhone for future reference.”
Apple accuses Aude of revealing a list of final features of Apple’s Journal application during an April 2023 phone call with the same journalist. An article detailing the unreleased app’s features appeared in The Wall Street Journal that same month.
Aude began working at Apple in 2016 as an iOS specialist concentrating on enhancing battery efficiency. Apple’s legal team states that this role provided Aude with access to “details concerning numerous of Apple’s most delicate products.”
Apple only became aware of the leaks towards the end of 2023, according to the company. When Apple representatives initially met with Aude in November 2023, he allegedly denied involvement in the leaks and falsely claimed he did not have his Apple-assigned iPhone with him. Subsequently, Apple claims that during a supposed restroom break, he took out his iPhone from his pocket and permanently erased substantial evidence from the device, including the Signal app.
During a second meeting on December 12th, the complaint indicates that “Aude confessed to revealing Apple’s strategies on regulatory compliance, undisclosed products, development policies, and hardware attributes of specified released products to at least two reporters.” Three days later, he was terminated. Apple’s submission states that they seek a trial by jury, compensation, the return of bonuses and stock choices, and “A court order prohibiting Mr. Aude from sharing Apple’s confidential information with third parties without written permission.”
Source: www.theverge.com