Your lost iPhone is your responsibility, not Apple’s, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India has ruled that Apple India is not obligated to track stolen iPhones using their unique identity numbers. According to a report by Live Law, this decision overturns an earlier directive by the Odisha State Consumer Commission, which had placed this responsibility on Apple.

As per the report, a consumer in Odisha had purchased an iPhone with theft insurance and reported it stolen to both the police and Apple India. The consumer expected Apple to take action and track the device but Apple wasn’t obligated to do that. The consumer filed a complaint, leading to a District Consumer Forum ruling in their favour. However, the District Consumer Forum’s decision was appealed by Apple.

In its ruling, the Consumer Forum said that, as the manufacturer, Apple was obligated to use the phone's unique identifier to track its location. However, Apple argued against being forced to act as a law enforcement agency and appealed to the Supreme Court.

What did the Supreme Court say?
The Supreme Court, acknowledging Apple's compensation to the consumer, ultimately sided with the company. The court stated that requiring them to track stolen phones was an “unwarranted observation” and not a part of their responsibility. The apex court ordered the removal of the contentious paragraph from the State Commission's order, clarifying the limits of corporations' obligations in such situations.