Apple is allegedly threatening to fireplace an worker who posted a TikTok video with fundamental iPhone safety suggestions. The worker, Paris Campbell, says she was instructed that she breached firm coverage by figuring out herself as an Apple worker and posting about Apple-related matters.

The firm’s social media coverage warns staff in opposition to posting about prospects, colleagues, or confidential data — however Apple doesn’t particularly bar staff from posting concerning the expertise totally.

“We want you to be yourself, but you should also be respectful in posts, tweets, and other online communications,” an inner doc reads.

Campbell, a single mom residing in New York, has labored at Apple for practically six years, most lately as a restore technician in Apple retail. Last week, she responded to a different TikTok person who’d misplaced her iPhone at Coachella, then obtained threatening textual content messages saying her private data could be offered on the black market except she eliminated the iPhone from her Apple ID.

“I can’t tell you exactly how I know this information, but I can tell you that for the last six years, I’ve been a certified hardware engineer for a certain company that likes to talk about fruit,” Campbell mentioned in her response video, earlier than warning the person to not hearken to the extortionists. “Your phone is actually useless to them, and you’re the only person that can save them, and I suggest that you don’t.”

That video went viral, wracking up 5 million views in roughly 24 hours. On Friday, Campbell obtained a name from a supervisor, telling her to take away the video or she’d be topic to disciplinary motion “up to and including termination.” When she requested what would occur if she left the video up, she says the supervisor walked again the unique remark and mentioned he would get again to her. So far, he hasn’t.

Over the weekend, Campbell posted a second video titled “dear Apple,” the place she revealed that she was an Apple worker and mentioned she was ready to listen to if she was going to be fired. “I’ve never actually identified myself as an Apple employee until this video,” she mentioned. “Funny thing is, though, after reviewing the social media policies… nowhere does it say I can’t identify myself as an Apple employee publicly, just that I shouldn’t do so in a way that makes the company look bad.”

Campbell, who’s been a stand-up comedian since 2011, has a big social media following, together with 439,000 followers on TikTok.

The recognition of her posts won’t be sufficient to cease her from getting fired. Last 12 months, Apple terminated two high-profile activists for allegedly sharing confidential data. But Campbell says her movies don’t comprise any data that isn’t already publicly out there.

“I find Apple’s response to be directly in contrast to how we portray ourselves as a company in terms of telling people to think different, innovate, and come up with creative solutions,” she says in an interview with The Verge. “I don’t just have all this Apple knowledge because I work for Apple. I come to this knowledge because I have a long technical education and history. That’s why they hired me.”

Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from The Verge.