An Apple fan who has spent “nearly 30 years as a loyal customer” says they’ve been “permanently” locked out of their Apple Account due to what might be the overzealous actions of Apple’s automated anti-fraud system. It’s left them locked out of “20 years of digital life,” and it all started with the seemingly straightforward purchase of an Apple gift card.

  • ccunning@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Their first party account is an interesting read and available on their blog here:
    https://hey.paris/posts/appleid/

    The post was updated yesterday with the following:

    Update 14 December 2025: Someone from Executive Relations at Apple says they’re looking into it. I hope this is true. They say they’ll call me back tomorrow, on 15 December 2025. In the mean time, it’s been covered by Daring FireballApple InsiderMichael Tsai, and others, thanks folks! I’ve received 100s of emails of support, and will reply to you all in time, thank you. Finger’s crossed Apple calls back.

    • inbeesee@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      Even if this works, everyone cannot go through this process. Every Apple Fanboy be like, “this is why you have to buy two of every Apple product so if you get locked out of one half you still have your backup”

    • londos@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Second Update 14 December 2025: No luck so far, and not looking good. Anyone got a good lawyer to send them a letter and/or help me sue them? paris AT paris.id.au

      • bonenode@piefed.social
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        1 day ago

        Even if they get back and correct all this, I hope the author learns a lesson and begins exporting his digital footprint to other services.

        • witten@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          It’s pretty clear he’ll go right back to Apple like a dog to vomit.

          • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 day ago

            Uh … yeah, it’s his livelihood. He writes books on programming with Apple machines. Of course he’s still going to do the things he’s been doing his whole life.

            • witten@lemmy.world
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              20 hours ago

              I dunno. If I had made my livelihood working in someone else’s walled garden for years and years, and they unceremoniously kicked me out one day with zero warning, I might begin to question things a little bit??

            • potustheplant@feddit.nl
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              20 hours ago

              You don’t need to host your “digital life” with Apple for that. Nor do you need to host it in a single place either.

      • ccunning@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Yeah - this really confused me. Why did they make a second update on the 14th when the first update said they’d hear back on the 15th?

        • kescusay@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          He’s in Australia. It was already the 15th there when he posted that, but the person you’re responding to isn’t in Australia and the blog they copied and pasted from probably compensated for time zones.

          Edit: Or it’s a typo from a stressed and frantic person.