Stolen iPhone Lawsuit: Man Sues Apple for $5 Million Over Lost Data Access:

To a Minnesota tech executive Michael Mathews, misplacing his iPhone while in Arizona was not just a simple inconvenience, but rather a life shattering affair as it contained over 2 terabytes worth of sensitive family photographs, business files, and critical tax documents. As per a publication from The Washington Post, the man's entire business operations came to a grinding halt.

The overarching problem here? Apple refused to assist him in recovering the data despite him verifying that the device was indeed his.

Why Mathews Did Not Get Help From Apple

Mathews was still attempting to unlock the device by recombining the retrieval keys linked to his Apple account. However, he was denied freedom of access due to Mathews being held behind the doors of Apple privacy protocols, Without an iCloud backup, he was completely shut out of his data, stuck with little recovery options.

In the end, he decided to file a lawsuit agamst Apple, seeking $5 million in damages alongside a court order that would enable him regain access to his information.

Apple Security Flaws

One of the Apple’s primary features labeled ‘Find My’ aids users who have either misplaced their device, or had it stolen, allowing them to lock it remotely or track the device. Although this feature has a few kinks, professional criminals can still access the information on these devices by changing recovery details, thus leaving the original user shut out. Storage disablement the original user access Windows.

iCloud data backup is a requirement for Apple to assist in retrieving or releasing any information tied to a user's account, even in the scenario where ownership is demonstrably verifiable. Apple maintains user privacy is the reason for adherence to such a policy.

An Apple Challenge

The impacts extend beyond just Michael Mathews. Numerous other Apple device owners have had to deal with the same challenges regarding recovery of data from stolen devices. The case opens the possibility for further examination of the policies concerning data governance within the company as well as increased scrutiny concerning whether users should be offered more fail safe methods for data recovery in case of theft.

Until Apple receives renewed focus to their policies, specialists recommend all Apple device owners shift their data as frequently as possible to the iCloud in order to ensure they don’t lose crucial files.