Recently, Tianjin Ms. Fu sent her phone with a screen problem for repair, only to have the shop owner secretly browse through it for over 50 minutes, extracting more than 40 private photos. This incident has sparked widespread attention on the internet.
On July 25th, Ms. Fu from Tianjin took her phone with a screen issue for repair and had to leave temporarily due to urgent matters. Subsequently, the shop owner asked her for the screen lock password under the pretense of a “software check,” and without much thought, Ms. Fu provided it. Later, the owner informed her that the phone was fixed and ready for pickup, but due to her busy schedule, she agreed to collect it the next day.
The following afternoon, when she went to retrieve her phone, she discovered that the shop owner had logged into her social media accounts on the phone, viewing the photo albums for over 20 minutes and logged into WeChat for over 30 minutes. Outraged, she reported the incident to the police.
Upon investigation, the police confirmed that the shop owner had extracted more than 40 private photos of the woman from her phone. The police demanded that the owner delete those photos.
The shop owner called to apologize, but Ms. Fu declined to accept it. She stated that she has now filed a lawsuit and will report the shop owner’s violation of customer privacy to the Market Supervision Bureau, as well as reapply for a case at the police station.
On July 29th, news labeled “Woman’s phone repaired, shop owner extracts over 40 private photos” trended on Weibo.
Netizens expressed their opinions, saying, “Deleting the photos is not enough, they can still be recovered.” “What should have been a proper repair job turned into an invasion of privacy. Repairing a phone only requires dealing with hardware issues; there is no need to browse through photo albums, check chat records, or unauthorizedly save other people’s photos. The behavior of the shop owner not only lacks ethics but also violates the privacy boundary, betraying the goodwill and trust of customers.”
“When I went to repair my phone before, they also asked me for the password. I said if they needed the password, I wouldn’t get it repaired, but they still fixed it later.” “Casually intruding on customer privacy, they have crossed the line. Hopefully, this incident will serve as a warning to all repair practitioners.”
“In the future, when repairing phones, be sure to enable repair mode if possible; most phones have it. However, if the phone is unresponsive and repair mode cannot be accessed, what should one do to protect privacy? Does anyone knowledgeable have advice?”
“When it comes to phone repairs, it’s better to go to official channels for reliability. Although the prices may be slightly higher than third parties, the quality and privacy security are guaranteed. Even if you opt for a third-party service, like screen replacement, back cover replacement, or battery replacement, there’s absolutely no need to provide the screen lock password, and repairs are usually completed on the spot.”
Overall, this incident serves as a cautionary tale for both customers seeking repairs and repair service providers, highlighting the importance of respecting privacy and conducting business ethically in the digital age.