Apple's Latest Hot Mess: Prominent iPad Users' Personal Info Exposed

By Peter Jamison Wed., Jun. 9 2010 at 4:13 PM

Categories: Tech

A window to your soul

Think Facebook's got privacy problems? Just wait till you get a load of the latest scandal at Apple, which has apparently allowed some very prominent users of its iPad device -- think White House prominent -- to have their personal information exposed in an AT&T security breach.

Valleywag reports:

The breach, which comes just weeks after an Apple employee lost an iPhone prototype in a bar, exposed the most exclusive email list on the planet, a collection of early-adopter iPad 3G subscribers that includes thousands of A-listers in finance, politics and media, from New York Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson to Diane Sawyer of ABC News to film mogul Harvey Weinstein to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It even appears that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's information was compromised.

Now don't go into a cussing fit, Rahm! As security breaches go, this one could have been worse: It appears that email addresses of 3G subscribers were the principal piece of information vulnerable to hackers, as well as something called ICC-IDs, which you can read about here. Most of us mortal (read: the low-priced 16GB Wi-Fi model) iPad users probably won't be affected.

Still, this revelation is an embarrassment for Apple, particularly coming as it does on the heels of iPhonegate. Note that AT&T responded in record time with an official statement downplaying the gravity of the security breach. Stay tuned for updates.

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