Apple Charged for Hiding iCloud’s Use of Third-Party Services

Two Apple device users have filed a lawsuit against the tech giant on grounds of concealment of information. The complainants are objecting to the company’s failure to disclose that iCloud uses third-party storage services, says ZDNet.

Apple customers who want to use cloud storage services can sign up with iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage and computing service. During this process, users enter an agreement saying that their data “will be automatically sent to and stored by Apple.” This leads users to believe that the company itself stores user data.

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However, the contract fails to disclose that the company uses third-party service providers to store customers’ content. The iOS security guide emphasized it avails services from Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform. This is in addition to Apple’s storage services.

Upon learning this practice, two iCloud users initiated a class action lawsuit. The suit asserts that Apple is “guilty of breach of contract,” false advertising” and violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law.

The complaint says that the cloud storage provider is “significant and material consideration.” This is because of the storage services “[take] custody” of sensitive user data such as photographs, e-mails, and documents.

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The suit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The concerned customers are hoping for a class action on behalf of all Apple users in the United States. The file covers customers who subscribed to iCloud within August 20, 2015, up to the present.

Moreover, Apple’s contract directly states that the company stores the data, which warrants the so-called Apple premium for iCloud. With such a premium, customers place their trust in the brand. However, the revelation that the company uses third-party services subtracts from such trust and value.

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The lawsuit recognizes the fact that user data is encrypted before going into third-party storage. However, the integrity, reliability, and assurance of the data and storage remain to be in question, says the complaint.

The complainants are concerned about the accessibility of content without the dangers of being “damaged, lost, stolen, or disposed of. The suit also states that customers should be assured that their data will remain intact.

Meanwhile, the tech firm has announced that it will be investing $10 billion toward data centers in the US. The project will last for 5 years, covering Arizona, North Carolina, Arizona and other places in the country.

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