Apple is once again in the spotlight as states consider legal action against the company for deliberately throttling iPhones.
According to reporting from Reuters:
Arizona is leading a multi-U.S. state probe into whether Apple Inc’s deliberate slowing of older iPhones violated deceptive trade practice laws, documents reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Last week, a separate document released by a tech watchdog group showed the Texas attorney general might sue Apple for such violations in connection with a multi-state probe, without specifying charges.
In the ongoing probe since at least October 2018, investigators have asked Apple for data about “unexpected shutdowns” of iPhones and the company’s throttling, or slowing down, of the devices through power management software, documents Reuters obtained through a public records request showed.
Apple claims that the slowdown of processor speeds in aging iPhones is meant to prevent power spikes. But owners sued and the company settled a $500 million class-action lawsuit. Eligible iPhone users can receive $25 per device as part of the settlement.
The news comes on the same day that tech executives faced a grilling in the House of Representatives. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress regarding their business practices.
