A former Apple employee has found themselves in hot water, with Apple suing the individual for leaking insider information to a news outlet for almost an entire year. For anyone that keeps up with the consumer tech space, it's a known quantity that product leaks are a common occurrence. They can come in the form of device renders, leaked features/specs, or details about future product plans that are years down the road. The way these leaks are sourced also happens a few different ways, either with someone on the outside digging up information, a source within the company talking to a publication, or sometimes the company accidentally (or purposefully) leaking info itself.
Leaks often build up a lot of excitement surrounding an upcoming product, but companies like Samsung and Apple don't like to see them. There's very specific timing and planning that goes into product launches, and when information about these products comes out before it should, that doesn't typically sit well with the company that gets put in the spotlight. Some brands, however, take these leaks more seriously than others.
The folks at AppleInsider recently discovered that Apple has issued a lawsuit against a former employee from the company, with Apple citing three distinct issues: breach of a written contract, violating the Defense of Trade Secret Act, and violating the California Uniform Trade Secret Act. Legal jargon aside, the former employee — Simon Lancaster — is being accused of taking insider information from his position within Apple, leaking it to a publication (which is unnamed), and doing so in exchange for favorable coverage from said publication about Lancaster's startup. Lancaster was acting as the Advanced Materials Lead and Product Design Architect at Apple during the time, meaning he had access to confidential company information.
The Employee Leaked Info About New Products, Changes To Existing Products, And More
Reading through the lawsuit, Apple says, "The trade secrets Lancaster stole and sent to the Correspondent for publication included details of unreleased Apple hardware products, unannounced feature changes to existing hardware products, and future product announcements, all of which Apple guards closely." Of those leaks, one is said to have contained information about "Project X," which is believed to be Apple's rumored AR glasses. In addition to Lancaster's activity "undermining the morale of the teams that worked on the products and features," Apple goes on to say that, "Lancaster's misappropriation also disadvantages Apple with respect to its competitors."
It's reported that Lancaster was first contacted by the correspondent in November 2018 and continued the relationship through much of the next year. After telling Apple in October 2019 that he would be leaving, Lancaster held onto company documents that should have been returned to Apple, attended high-level meetings where he gained additional insider information, and requested access to additional documents for projects he wasn't currently involved with — all of which is said to have been sent to the correspondent from the publication.
While shutting down one source of leaked information doesn't mean Apple leaks will stop once and for all, this serves as an important reminder of the risks involved with this sort of activity. Leaking confidential information is a sure way to get on the bad side of any company involved, especially if it's one like Apple.
Source: AppleInsider