Apple Could Fire Employee, A Single Mother, Over Viral TikTok Video - Here's Why

An Apple Inc. AAPL employee found herself in hot water after posting a TikTok about the technology giant she works for.

What Happened: employee Paris Campbell shared that she has been contacted by her company over a TikTok she posted sharing iPhone security tips, The Verge reported.

Campbell said she has been told by Apple that she breached company policy for posting Apple related topics and revealing herself as an employee of the company.

The Apple employee shared in a subsequent TikTok that she reviewed the company’s policy and can’t find anything specific about what she did wrong and didn’t share any non public information.

“We want you to be yourself, but you should also be respectful in posts, tweets, and other online communications,” an Apple document on social media policies reads.

Campbell said she would like to keep her job.

According to The Verge, Campbell is a single mother who lives in New York and works as a repair technician for Apple’s retail division. Campbell has worked for Apple for around six years.

The TikTok in question was a response by Campbell to another TikTok user who lost her iPhone and received text messages stating she would have her personal information sold if she didn’t remove the iPhone in question 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 said in a video. “Your phone is actually useless to them, and you’re the only person that can save them, and I suggest that you don’t.

The video response from Campbell had over five million views in its first 24 hours, going viral on TikTok. At the time of writing, the video has 7.8 million views.

Campbell said she was told by a manager to remove the video or could face disciplinary action that could include termination.

Campbell has over 448,000 followers on TikTok.

Related Link: Apple Said To Lay Off 100 Recruiter Contractors As It Slows Down Hiring, Shift Return-To-Office Deadline

Why It’s Important: Campbell argues that she didn’t share any private information and Apple’s policy doesn’t offer an explanation to why she would have to take down her TikTok, which could create a viral case if the company parts way with the worker.

Apple terminated two activists for sharing confidential information last year, according to the report.

Electric vehicle leader Tesla Inc. TSLA fired a former employee that posted a video of full self-driving on YouTube, a video platform owned by Alphabet Inc. GOOGGOOGL. John Bernal had created YouTube videos on Tesla for over a year before being fired and seeing his FSD beta access taken away. The video in question showed the Tesla Model 3 having a minor collision, which Bernal called it the first FSD beta collision caught on camera.

In the age of social media and viral videos, employees could face pushback and punishment from companies for sharing secrets or information on their employer.

Apple could be in a tough position with no direct violation found by Campbell and her wide social media reach.