Despite Apple’s efforts to keep anyone from finding out what it’s working on, leaks have continued to give the world early previews of new iPhones, Macs and more. Its campaign to plug the holes is apparently extending to threats of legal action, as the leaker known as “Kang” posted to Weibo this week about a notice he received from the company (via MacRumors).
Kang currently holds the number one spot on the AppleTrack leaderboard, which attempts to compare the reliability of the information various leakers share, and AppleTrack indicates that other leakers have received similar messages. Prior to the iPhone 12 launch, Kang posted about all four models that Apple had prepared, revealing their prices, colors and planned release dates.
According to Kang, the letter from a law firm claimed that his actions could share information with Apple’s competitors, or mislead consumers about devices that aren’t coming. It also included screenshots of his Weibo page, showing posts beyond the leaks, like ones where he talked about problems he’s had with Apple products.
For his part, Kang claims to have never signed an NDA, published undisclosed pictures or profited from his information. Still, the tracker shows his information has revealed details about everything from the iPhone SE to the HomePod mini. Content creator Ben Geskin mentioned receiving a similar notice last year, while fellow leaker L0vetodream (number five on the source ranking list) said they had not received anything.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment about the letters or how many were sent. As for Kang, the post indicates he won’t post “riddles” or “dreams” about upcoming devices, so while the weight of the threat is unclear, it may have had Apple’s intended effect.