Apple Tries to Plug Leaks
Leakers are a big part of the CE sub-culture and social media has made that practice one that can transform a CE geek into an influencer almost overnight. By revealing a tidbit about a global product, whether right or wrong, a leaker can generate hundreds of thousands of followers and generate substantial income. In some cases this can help the leaker to gain more contacts at low or mid-level suppliers who are willing to drop more hints under the cloak of unnamed ‘industry sources.’ Since there is no way to fact check a leak until the product is actually released, leakers can self-perpetuate themselves for long periods, and quickly reinvent themselves with new leaks when products are actually released, regardless of whether they were correct.
Some companies use this channel for their own ends, either planting information that will generate positive enthusiasm for an upcoming product or to show how well the new product will compare with the competition, while others are particularly secretive, and do not intentionally ‘pre-release’ information about their products. Of course, given the vast numbers of companies in the CE supply chain, there are always little bits of information that slip out, but a number of large CR product firms require NDAs to be signed and can inflict penalties on those companies when violated.
Apple is one of those companies that tends to insist on compliance with its rules on secrecy as it is very focused on keeping it product development plans under wraps. NDAs are a way of life for Apple suppliers and comments by supplier staff or officials about any product plans that Apple might have are met with legal representation, however the internet is the Wild West as to 1st Amendment rights and there is little that can be done to keep leakers from dropping hints or making claims as to product plans or features.
That said, Apple is pissed and is looking to put it finger in the leaky dike that is the internet, with a number of Apple leakers leaking the fact that they have received ‘notice’ from Apple’s legal counsel cautioning them about disclosing information about unreleased Apple products. While the notice did not portend legal action, it did note that such information may be from competitors and inaccurate, therefore hurting both the company and its customers, with screenshots of leaker blogs and comments. As the leakers become more bold, with some purporting to know “exactly what Apple is working on, to the tee” (Kang) and showing track records for correct leaks, Apple seems to be a bit more aggressive in trying to protect its product security, and rumors that Apple itself conducted a ‘sting’ in March by planting misinformation to see who leaked it and track back the sources. A number of prominent leakers were identified by that sting (unverified).
Whether this represents a new normal for Apple or just an attempt to periodically reduce leaks, Apple will have to walk a fine line here as the influence that leakers have over the masses of fans that are the ultimate buyers of CE products is obvious, and the fact that free speech relative to the internet is still a bit of a gray area, may make this a difficult line to walk for Apple and any others who might be concerned about such security issues. Its not as easy to scare someone with a lawyer’s letter when they have 500,000 followers and can move them away from a product with a short Tweet.
Some companies use this channel for their own ends, either planting information that will generate positive enthusiasm for an upcoming product or to show how well the new product will compare with the competition, while others are particularly secretive, and do not intentionally ‘pre-release’ information about their products. Of course, given the vast numbers of companies in the CE supply chain, there are always little bits of information that slip out, but a number of large CR product firms require NDAs to be signed and can inflict penalties on those companies when violated.
Apple is one of those companies that tends to insist on compliance with its rules on secrecy as it is very focused on keeping it product development plans under wraps. NDAs are a way of life for Apple suppliers and comments by supplier staff or officials about any product plans that Apple might have are met with legal representation, however the internet is the Wild West as to 1st Amendment rights and there is little that can be done to keep leakers from dropping hints or making claims as to product plans or features.
That said, Apple is pissed and is looking to put it finger in the leaky dike that is the internet, with a number of Apple leakers leaking the fact that they have received ‘notice’ from Apple’s legal counsel cautioning them about disclosing information about unreleased Apple products. While the notice did not portend legal action, it did note that such information may be from competitors and inaccurate, therefore hurting both the company and its customers, with screenshots of leaker blogs and comments. As the leakers become more bold, with some purporting to know “exactly what Apple is working on, to the tee” (Kang) and showing track records for correct leaks, Apple seems to be a bit more aggressive in trying to protect its product security, and rumors that Apple itself conducted a ‘sting’ in March by planting misinformation to see who leaked it and track back the sources. A number of prominent leakers were identified by that sting (unverified).
Whether this represents a new normal for Apple or just an attempt to periodically reduce leaks, Apple will have to walk a fine line here as the influence that leakers have over the masses of fans that are the ultimate buyers of CE products is obvious, and the fact that free speech relative to the internet is still a bit of a gray area, may make this a difficult line to walk for Apple and any others who might be concerned about such security issues. Its not as easy to scare someone with a lawyer’s letter when they have 500,000 followers and can move them away from a product with a short Tweet.
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