2TB Data Lost Because Of Stolen IPhone, Apple Sued Massively!

JAKARTA - A man from Minnesota, United States, sued Apple for $5 million for failing to recover his personal data after his iPhone was stolen. This lawsuit is in the spotlight because it concerns Apple's latest security feature, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which is considered too tight and does not provide a solution when users lose access.

In a lawsuit document filed with the United States District Court for the Northern Region of California in January 2025, and was only revealed by The Washington Post in April, plaintiff Michael Mathews claimed to have lost all of his digital data, including photos of his family, music, tax documents, and work research, after his iPhone was stolen at Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mathews demanded that Apple return access to his 2 terabytes of data deemed his all digital life', and ask for compensation of at least US$5 million. He also admitted that his company in the field of technology consultants had to close due to the loss of this important data.

The Problem Begins With Recovery Key

The main problem in this case is related to the Recovery Key security feature which is part of Apple's Advanced Data Protection system. Recovery Key is a 28-digit code that works to restore accounts if users forget their Apple ID password.

But in the case of Mathews, the thief allegedly managed to access his iPhone and changed the password and created a new Recovery Key. Under conditions like this, Apple ID accounts cannot be restored, even by Apple itself, because all the encrypted data is full and can only be accessed using a legitimate Recovery Key.

Mathews' side, through his lawyer, K. Jon Breyer, stated that Apple does not have the justification to refuse to help, because the stored data remains owned by the user, not Apple's.

"It doesn't make sense for Apple to store data that doesn't belong to them and refuses to return it," Breyer said.

Under the non-ADP system, Apple still stores copies of encryption keys and can help users recover their accounts. However, ADP removed the role for maximum security, handing over all responsibilities to users to save their own Recovery Key.

Case Enters Discovery Stage

The lawsuit has now entered the stage of finding facts (discovery), a process that could last for six to eight months. Apple has not provided specific comments regarding this case, but in a general statement they said that "Apple sympathizes with victims of crime, and we are taking all attacks on our users very seriously."

This case opens up a big debate over the limits between privacy and the responsibility of technology companies, as well as how smart device manufacturers like Apple must balance between maximum security and the ability to recover user data in emergency situations.