[jrochkind1]

So I actually can believe it happens to Americans as much as anyone, but that story is a bit different -- the Apple employees were testing the devices "in the field", bringing them along with you in your daily activities including the bar was intentional and part of the assignment.

I don't know why you bring a USB stick with half a million people's data with you to the bar. Why is that even leaving the office?

I bring this up not to talk about differences between Americans and Japanese (boring, I think they are probably exagerated), but becuase these are different "threat models". You handle the "USB stick with company data" on it "threat" by training people... not to just stick sensitive data in their pocket as they go about their business? It should be on a USB stick for as little time as possible and that USB stick should be treated like it's worth a fortune (because it is). There's no reason you should be carrying that thing with you to the bar in the first place.

The iPhone case... eh, if you ask people to carry a device along with them in their daily lives, it's inevitable that someone will forget one someplace at some point. Maybe some kind of proximity alarm that beeps if you walk away from it?

[galangalalgol]

I'm with you on asking why that data was even on a removable drive. What possible use case is there for that? And if there is one, like transferring between airgapped networks, it seems you'd encrypt it at least.

[akg_67]

The USB key was used to transfer the data from a government office to a service firm reviewing Covid19 related benefit claims and fund distribution. The employee mistake was to not delete data from USB key after transferring to the firm's system.

[IncRnd]

The data was planted on the usb by an Evil Maid[1], so the salaryman could gain face [2] as an everyman.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_maid_attack

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_(sociological_concept)

[BiteCode_dev]

Also, it is suspected than Apple actually orchestrate those "leaks" for free publicity.

[jrochkind1]

We live in a conspiracist society, any secret plan you can imagine has "been suspected", and generally people require no particular evidence other than "it would make sense to me" (as if there aren't plenty of things that would make sense to me that haven't happened!)

But if Apple actually wanted media outlets to cover it, having law enforcement seize and search the property of the editor that broke the story, and then banning the media outlet that broke it from WWDC... doesn't seem like the way to encourage anyone to cover it next time there's a leak, if you're actually hoping for coverage of secretly orchestrated leaks. https://www.pcmag.com/archive/gizmodo-banned-from-wwdc-25149...

[samatman]

Does Apple do controlled leaks? Of course, any company which is able to keep secrets in the first place does.

For the iPhone 4? Absolutely not, the only other model which changed iPhone as much as the 4 was the X, Steve was still alive for the 4 and there is absolutely no way he would have approved just leaving it in a bar for hype.

Steve Jobs wanted to be the person who showed that to the world. Remember the first MacBook Air? Steve lived for that moment.

[dmd]

[by whom?]

[BiteCode_dev]

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=apple%20ochestrate%20l...

[0des]

I suspect it, tbh