14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is being accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with the performance throttling that it enabled on iPhones with degraded batteries.
In a new lawsuit filed in the US federal district court of northern California, plaintiffs explain that Apple deliberately slowed down devices without users’ consent, which led to what are described as damages to the hardware and representing violations of the CFAA.
“Apple violated [the CFAA] by knowingly causing the transmission of iOS software Updates to Plaintiff and class members’ devices to access, collect, and transmit information to devices, which are protected computers as defined in [the CFAA] because they are used in interstate commerce and/or communication," the complaint reads according to The Register.
“By transmitting information to class members’ devices, Apple intentionally caused damage without authorization to class members’ devices by impairing the ability of those devices to operate as warranted, represented, and advertised.”
Battery replacement program
The same lawsuit accuses Apple of violating a series of other laws with its battery slowdown, alleging that the performance throttling remained a secret for eleven months as “Apple continued to hide the whole truth.”
The Cupertino company acknowledged in late 2017 that it deliberately slowed down iPhones with degraded batteries in order to prevent them from shutting down. The company said that this behavior was originally developed for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, while an iOS software update brought it to the iPhone 7 series a few months later.
The company agreed to introduce an iOS feature that allows users to disable the performance throttling, revealing the battery health in an easy-to-read way in order to determine whether unexpected shutdowns could occur. Furthermore, Apple launched a battery replacement program with a discounted price from $79 to $29 and running throughout the year, allowing iPhone users to have their batteries replaced.