Apple has fired an Apple Store employee after they stole a personal photo from the iPhone of a customer.

The employee in question worked at the Valley Plaza Mall Apple Store in Bakersfield, CA. Apple has said the employee in question “acted far outside the strict privacy guidelines to which we hold all Apple employees”. They confirmed that the employee is no longer working for Apple.

Bakersfield resident Gloria Fuentes went to the Apple Store on Monday, seeking an iPhone screen repair. She says an Apple employee took her phone to look at it, before returning it. The employee later sent her a text message at home. This contained a single “extremely personal” photo taken from Fuentes’ phone. On Facebook, she noted that this photo was apparently taken “almost a year ago so [the employee would have] had to have scrolled up for a while.”

An Apple spokesperson noted that: “Apple immediately launched an internal investigation.” They deemed that the employee in question had behaved in a highly inappropriate manner, and made the decision to fire them.

Fuentes has taken the case to the Bakersfield Police Department. It is currently an open, active investigation. That means that possible criminal charges could still follow.

Source: Facebook

Via: Bakersfield Now