Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn programmed its iPhone and iPad applications to divert sensitive information without users’ knowledge, according to a class-action lawsuit.

The apps use Apple’s Universal Clipboard to read and siphon the data, and can draw information from other Apple devices, according to the complaint filed in San Francisco federal court. The privacy violations were exposed by Apple and independent program developers, according to the suit. Developers and testers of Apple’s most recent mobile operating system, iOS 14, found LinkedIn’s application was secretly reading users’ clipboards “a lot," according to the complaint. Apple’s clipboard often contains sensitive information users cut or copy to paste, including photos, texts, emails or medical records. “LinkedIn has not only been spying on its users, it has been spying on their nearby computers and other devices, and it has been circumventing" Apple’s clipboard timeout, which removes the information after 120 seconds, according to the suit.

According to Apple’s website, Universal Clipboard allows users to copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and then paste the content onto another Apple device. According to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court by Adam Bauer, LinkedIn reads the Clipboard information without notifying the user.

According to media reports from last week, 53 apps including TikTok and LinkedIn were reported to be reading users’ Universal Clipboard content, after Apple’s latest privacy feature started alerting users whenever the clipboard was accessed with a banner saying “pasted from Messages.”

A LinkedIn executive had said on Twitter last week that the company released a new version of its app to end this practice. Developers and testers of Apple’s operating system iOS 14 found that LinkedIn’s application on iPhones and iPads “secretly” read users’ clipboard “a lot,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit seeks to certify the complaint as class action based on alleged violation of the law or social norms, under California laws. According to the complaint, LinkedIn has not only been spying on its users, it has been spying on their nearby computers and other devices, and it has been circumventing Apple’s Universal Clipboard timeout.

Source- Reuters