T-Mobile recently came under fire after a customer filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that an employee stole nude images from their phone during a trade-in transaction.
According to the lawsuit, the customer brought their phone to a T-Mobile store to trade in for a newer model when the incident occurred. Upon checking in the device, the customer alleges that the employee proceeded to view personal images stored on their device without permission. Sadly, the photos included nude images.
The employee was later fired from his position after the customer reported the incident, however, the damage had already been done. The customer’s lawsuit includes claims of invasion of privacy, negligence, and emotional distress.
T-Mobile responded to the lawsuit by issuing an apology to the customer, noting that the company takes privacy very seriously and does not condone such actions. T-Mobile also stated that the employee underwent a “rigorous background check before employment” and had multiple forms of training to ensure this kind of incident does not happen again.
The lawsuit serves as an important reminder to mobile phone companies, as well as others in the technology space, to ensure appropriate standards and procedures are established in order to safeguard customers’ data and personal information. It is also a lesson to all customers that it is always important to know where and to whom you are entrusting your private information.
No one should be subjected to have their most personal information breached, and adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards privacy breaches could be an ideal first step for many companies. Hopefully, this lawsuit serves as a wake-up call for mobile companies and other organizations.