The image is by Alex Castro.
Jane McGonigal sent her device to the internet search engine for repair, and INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals This is at least the second report in as many weeks from someone claiming to have sent a phone in for repair, only to have it leak their private data and photographs. McGonigal advised other users not to send their phones in for repair after he posted a detailed account of the situation on Saturday.
Don't send your phone in for warranty repair. Last night someone used it to log into my email account, my photos backup account, and my dropbox account, and they opened a bunch of selfies hoping to find nudes.
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Jane McGonigal is a player on theavantgame.
McGonigal sent her phone to a repair center in Texas. She was charged for a replacement device after she said that she hadn't received her phone.
The photos they opened were of me in bathing suits, sports bras, form-fitting dresses, and of stitches after surgery.
FedEx tracking information shows the device arrived at the facility weeks ago. Someone seems to have used the missing phone to log in to her accounts after she received a refund for the device.
McGonigal had several email security alerts triggered by the activity. She thinks that whoever has the phone may have used it to access her backup email addresses and then dumped any security alert into her inbox.
McGonigal wrote that the photos they opened were of her in bathing suits, sports bras, form-fitting dresses, and of stitches after surgery. They deleted security notifications from my email accounts.
In a statement to The Verge, Alex Moriconi said that they were investigating the claim. It is not clear if the device was in the repair facility or in transit, or who has it now. Before sending a device in, it is recommended to back up and erase it. Jane McGonigal points out that that is either hard or impossible depending on the damage.
The situation reminds us of the security concerns when we hand over our devices for repair. Apple paid millions to a woman after her nude photos were posted to Facebook. Apple recently said it would start selling repair kits that users could use to fix their own phones, instead of having it sent in or dropped off at an Apple Store.
In some countries, you can either mail in your phone for official service or use an authorized provider. In the US, there is a partnership between GOOGLE and UBreakiFix. Even if you own a phone, you end up having to trust that no one will get their hands on it while it is out of your possession, because the options for repairs are still limited.
