Another cautionary tale to add to the 'cloud sync is not a backup' list;
-
Another cautionary tale to add to the 'cloud sync is not a backup' list;
20 Years of Digital Life, Gone in an Instant, thanks to Apple
Summary: A major brick-and-mortar store sold an Apple Gift Card that Apple seemingly took offence to, and locked out my entire Apple ID, effectively bricking my devices and my iCloud Account, Apple Developer ID, and everything associated with it, and I have no recourse. Can you help? Email paris AT paris.id.au (and read on for the details). ❤️ Here’s how Apple “Permanently” locked my Apple ID. I am writing this as a desperate measure.
(hey.paris)
Also, since this is the likely source of some discourse that has crossed my timeline in the past 24 hours, a few thoughts;
1) While schadenfreude is wholly inappropriate, there is a core of truth in any 'this is what you get' type of responses you might see. Because this is not the first time this has happened to someone, it is not unique to Apple, and the above 'cloud sync is not a backup' is a piece of advice that has been given but gone unheeded many, many times.
2) I am kind of rolling my eyes at the 'I have been nothing but loyal for many, many years' vibes this has. Not only does it not really matter to the current situation this person finds themselves in, it reeks of privilege, and entitlement.
3) Because YES, it could totally HAPPEN TO YOU TOO, independent of your technology choices. The KYC legislation as it exists in many countries these days makes it more likely, not less. The resulting fraud detection and response is automated, and imperfect.
1/ 🧵
-
Another cautionary tale to add to the 'cloud sync is not a backup' list;
20 Years of Digital Life, Gone in an Instant, thanks to Apple
Summary: A major brick-and-mortar store sold an Apple Gift Card that Apple seemingly took offence to, and locked out my entire Apple ID, effectively bricking my devices and my iCloud Account, Apple Developer ID, and everything associated with it, and I have no recourse. Can you help? Email paris AT paris.id.au (and read on for the details). ❤️ Here’s how Apple “Permanently” locked my Apple ID. I am writing this as a desperate measure.
(hey.paris)
Also, since this is the likely source of some discourse that has crossed my timeline in the past 24 hours, a few thoughts;
1) While schadenfreude is wholly inappropriate, there is a core of truth in any 'this is what you get' type of responses you might see. Because this is not the first time this has happened to someone, it is not unique to Apple, and the above 'cloud sync is not a backup' is a piece of advice that has been given but gone unheeded many, many times.
2) I am kind of rolling my eyes at the 'I have been nothing but loyal for many, many years' vibes this has. Not only does it not really matter to the current situation this person finds themselves in, it reeks of privilege, and entitlement.
3) Because YES, it could totally HAPPEN TO YOU TOO, independent of your technology choices. The KYC legislation as it exists in many countries these days makes it more likely, not less. The resulting fraud detection and response is automated, and imperfect.
1/ 🧵
(Continued)
4) Seriously, have a backup of everything you cannot bear to lose, like those photos. Preferably offline, wholly independent of your primary cloud service.
5) The post does not mention whether this person has, but if something like this happens to you, I would recommend that you talk to a lawyer, perhaps to a consumer rights association, not to the internet. IANAL, etc.
6) Also, remember that Apple Support not being able to tell this person the details of this happened is by design, to prevent social engineering attacks, confidence scams, and so forth. It sucks when you find yourself on the wrong side of it like this, but that is why legal assistance would be the way to go.
--
TL;DR: Have backups. Review those backups on a semi-regular basis. Can you still access them?
-
(Continued)
4) Seriously, have a backup of everything you cannot bear to lose, like those photos. Preferably offline, wholly independent of your primary cloud service.
5) The post does not mention whether this person has, but if something like this happens to you, I would recommend that you talk to a lawyer, perhaps to a consumer rights association, not to the internet. IANAL, etc.
6) Also, remember that Apple Support not being able to tell this person the details of this happened is by design, to prevent social engineering attacks, confidence scams, and so forth. It sucks when you find yourself on the wrong side of it like this, but that is why legal assistance would be the way to go.
--
TL;DR: Have backups. Review those backups on a semi-regular basis. Can you still access them?
@sindarina Yes, they should have independent backups. Yes, Apple should be able to help them. Both can be true at the same time.
