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Why the FaceTime Bug Is Not Good for Business

By William Vogeler, Esq. on February 04, 2019 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Let's face it: cell phones can be dangerous.

That's why it's against the law to drive and text. You shouldn't take a selfie on the edge of a cliff, either.

But the latest cell-phone danger is about company security. For example, some people were using FaceTime to secretly record conversations.

Let's Not FaceTime It

Apple had to disable the FaceTime group feature after a 14-year-old kid exposed the problem. Basically, FaceTimers were recording conversations by adding unsuspecting cell phone users to videochats.

It got legal when New York Attorney General Letitia James said people shouldn't have "to choose between their private communications and their privacy rights." In Texas, a lawyer sued because somebody used FaceTime to record a private deposition.

Meanwhile, businesses have been struggling with cell phones at work since the Alexander Graham Apple invented them. Or something like that.

Jeff Griffin, who writes about compliance, said employers need to update their policies on cell phone use.

Shaping Company Policy

Cell phones are shaping company policy, he says. Among other problems, they can compromise confidentiality and proprietary information.

"You can't have employees taking pictures or recording audio (or worse, video) when you're discussing sensitive information because if it were to get out, your company could be vulnerable to lawsuits," he wrote.

Forbes writer Chloe Demrovsky said the FaceTime bug put businesses at risk. She suggested employers consider device-free meetings.

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