After Four Years, Judge Orders Apple to Give Widow Access to Husband’s Online Photos

BY Dennis D. Bednarz

Published 15 May 2019

iCloud

Rachel Thompson, a London widow, has finally won a court case against Apple, forcing the Cupertino giant to open up her late husband’s account and give her 10-year-old daughter access to photos of her deceased father. The case has been going on since 2015.

Mrs Thompson’s husband took his own life in July of 2015 when his daughter was just 6 years old. Due to this unfortunate event, the girl did not remember his father well so her mother asked the American company to unlock the account of her former husband, to no avail. Apple is known for very strict privacy regarding access to accounts of other people, as proven by the 2016 FBI vs. Apple case. Unfortunately, the company has such a strict policy that it can also affect people very negatively in the end.

Mrs Thompson went to court after unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the photos in a civil way, but the case has dragged on for almost four years. Now, Central London County Court has ruled in favour of the widow, forcing Apple to release 4,500 photos and 900 videos from Mr Thompson’s private Apple account. This case is truly one of it’s kind as UK law forbids access to deceased’s online accounts. Mrs Thompson commented on the matter:

 Videos are really nice because it’s amazing how quickly you forget what somebody sounds like.

Now, after the ruling, Mrs Thompson and her daughter Matilda will be able to enjoy memories of their family member after having fought for it for many years.

What are your thoughts? Did the court rule fairly or should the account have been kept locked away? Let us know in the comments below.

[via The Times]