California User Sues Apple Over $5 Million Hide My Email Privacy Claims

3 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · Jul 16

Anthony Alvarez filed a proposed class action in California alleging Apple misled users about Hide My Email and kept selling privacy promises while a flaw remained unresolved.
June 2025 marks when a security researcher says Apple was alerted that aliases could expose users’ real email addresses; Apple reportedly acknowledged the issue, said in March 2026 it was fixed, then later planned another update.
The complaint says millions of customers paid for iCloud+ plans starting at $0.99 a month or bought Apple devices expecting stronger privacy protections, and it seeks damages exceeding $5 million plus a court order to fix or clearly disclose the feature’s limits.
Four proposed classes would cover nationwide and California device users and iCloud+ subscribers who used Hide My Email, while Apple had not commented on the lawsuit at publication.