● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
Former Apple Engineer Sues, Alleging Firing After Refusing to Share Customer Device IDs with AT&T
Key points
- Toby Boardman sued Apple for wrongful termination.
- He claims he was fired for refusing AT&T's IMEI requests.
- Boardman alleges AT&T requests bypassed Apple's privacy rules.
- IMEIs were reportedly sent via unsecured email.
Lawsuit Details Alleged Firing Over Privacy Concerns
Toby Boardman, a former Apple Enterprise Systems Engineer, filed an employment lawsuit against Apple and two former managers on January 22, 2026. Boardman alleges he was terminated on June 11, 2024, after repeatedly refusing to provide International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEIs) to AT&T without customer consent, a practice he claims violated Apple's internal privacy policies. Apple stated his termination was due to performance issues, which Boardman disputes as a pretext.
Dispute Over Customer Data Sharing Practices
According to the complaint, Boardman's role involved assisting wireless carriers with difficult iPhone and cellular iPad issues. He claims that while other carriers were required to obtain customer releases before Apple provided device identifiers like IMEIs, the Apple representative assigned to AT&T did not enforce this requirement. Boardman further alleges that these identifiers, considered personally identifiable information by Apple, were transmitted through "unsecured email communications."
Employee Concerns and Management Response
Boardman reported the alleged practice to his manager and sought guidance from Apple's legal department, but claims he received no written response. When he raised the issue directly with his manager, Meg Fisher, he states she told him to "stop being a pain." Following this, Boardman began refusing the AT&T requests, leading to his eventual termination.
Legal Proceedings Underway
Apple filed a general denial in March 2026, asserting Boardman was terminated for "just cause and business reasons." A jury trial for the case has been scheduled for November 15, 2027, by Judge Rochelle East in San Francisco Superior Court. No court has yet made a finding on the allegations.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
A former Apple Enterprise Systems Engineer, Toby Boardman, has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired after refusing to fulfill requests from AT&T for customer device identifiers (IMEIs) without customer consent, a practice he claims violated Apple's internal privacy policies. This lawsuit brings to light potential privacy concerns regarding how Apple handles customer data when interacting with wireless carriers and the consequences for employees who raise such issues.