Leaks Hit 700Credit, Apple ID Lockouts

Summary

Failures in corporate access control and opaque platform decisions are directly impacting millions of consumers’ privacy and digital autonomy.

Data Exposure Confirmed: Home Depot’s internal systems were accessible for a year due to a public GitHub token 1.
Massive Breach: Credit check giant 700Credit confirmed a breach affecting at least 5.6 million individuals seeking auto loans 4.
Access Control Failures: Doxers posing as police tricked firms like Charter Communications into releasing private user data 6.
User Recourse Blocked: A long-time customer had their Apple ID permanently locked with no clear path for recovery 7.
Regulatory Uncertainty: Trump’s AI Executive Order creates ambiguity, potentially leading to legal limbo for startups navigating compliance 3.
5.6 Million - Minimum number of individuals affected by the 700Credit data breach 4.
1 Year - Duration Home Depot’s internal systems were publicly exposed via a token 1.
30 Years - Customer tenure before their Apple ID was permanently disabled without recourse 7.

A data breach at the Michigan-based credit check giant 700Credit, which provides identity verification for U.S. auto dealerships, affected at least 5.6 million.
— Article [4]
A loyal customer of nearly 30 years... had their Apple ID permanently disabled—an account held for decades.
— Article [7]
An experiment dubbed #WearthePants involved product strategist Michelle switching her profile gender to male in November after observing engagement drops.
— Article [5]
Security researcher Zeacer reported a website flaw in photo booth maker Hama Film in October, alerting the company and TechCrunch in late November.
— Article [2]

The LinkedIn algorithm appears sensitive to gender presentation, causing measurable engagement shifts when a user's profile gender is changed.

Sources: [5]