Tech leaker, Jon Prosser and his accomplice, Michael Ramacciotti, have been brought to court by Apple, which claims they planned to steal its unreleased iOS software.
The lawsuit claims that the two planned to break into an Apple development iPhone and release trade secrets from what was then known as iOS 19, which is now known as iOS 26. It was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The company alleges that Jon Prosser, who is well-known for his YouTube channel Front Page Tech, broke into a confidential development device by taking advantage of Ramacciotti’s personal connections to Apple engineer Ethan Lipnik.
Apple claims that in return for Ramacciotti’s access to the unreleased software, Prosser offered him cash or possible employment opportunities. With Lipnik’s location information and passcode in hand, Ramacciotti allegedly waited for the ideal opportunity to break into Lipnik’s development iPhone and broadcast its private contents to Prosser over a video call. An audio message from Ramacciotti to Lipnik, acknowledging the breach and blaming Prosser for the scheme, is disclosed by Apple as proof.
Lipnik was later fired because he broke company policy by not reporting the incident right away.
According to Apple: “detailed the compensation proposed by Mr. Prosser and their plan to acquire Apple’s information.”
Continuing, Prosser used the stolen information for purposes far more than mere curiosity. Apple claims that he captured the screen-share, produced intricate renders of iOS features that had not yet been released, and shared them on his YouTube channels. Early glimpses of Apple’s redesigned camera, messaging applications, and the new Liquid Glass design interface were among these leaks.
One of his videos featured a quote from Prosser himself, who acknowledged the extent of Apple’s internal security measures: “Apple does a lot of clever hiding. Let’s say you’re an Apple engineer: some elements of the OS are forked off into separate teams to prevent a full build from being in your possession, which is also why we never really see iOS leak early.”
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Apple’s version of events is disputed by Prosser, who publicly maintains that: “I did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone. I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained.”
In addition to damages, Apple is now requesting a court order to prevent Prosser from disclosing any more of its proprietary information. The company emphasises that the iPhone’s development access included more than just the features that Prosser leaked.
Apple issues a warning that “other unannounced design elements” could be compromised, possibly jeopardising subsequent products. In the end, its lawsuit presents Prosser and Ramacciotti as astute individuals who intentionally targeted their trade secrets, circumvented security measures, and profited from private data.
Futhering, the company has this to say: “Defendants’ misconduct was brazen and egregious.”
It added Prosser: “Profited off Apple’s trade secrets by, at least, sharing them in multiple videos on his business’s YouTube channel, from which he generates ad revenue.”
