Apple Inc on Monday temporarily suspended its group FaceTime video-calling feature following reports of a bug that activated an iPhone user’s microphone even before the user received the call allowing another iPhone user calling the device to listen in. The firm told Reuters that it was aware of the glitch.
“We are aware of this issue and have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week,” an Apple spokesperson said.
The bug was first reported on 9to5mac.com, which claimed that if a user presses the power button from the lock screen, their audio and video is transmitted to the caller without their knowledge.
The glitch was reported on Data Privacy Day, an international event held by the Council of Europe in 2007 to propagate the importance of protecting privacy. Hours before the bug was reported, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook tweeted about need for “vital privacy protections”.
“We must keep fighting for the kind of world we want to live in,” Cook tweeted. “On this Data Privacy Day let us all insist on action and reform for vital privacy protections. The dangers are real and the consequences are too important.”
Reports about the flaw surfaced a day before the company posts its quarterly results.
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