Apple iTunes Has (Accidently?) Turned Into Ransomware!

If you use Apple iTunes and you have ever changed the email address associated with your Apple Account (Apple ID), PLEASE READ THIS.

I use iTunes Version 12.10.4.2 for Windows 10. Since 2007, I have has three different email addresses tied to my Apple Id (changes in ISPs), I’ve used iTunes on 4 different computers and 5 iPods, and I’ve never had a single problem at all moving my songs between computers, listening to my music, or syncing my iTunes with my iPod… until last week.

For the first time ever, when I plugged in my iPod to sync my music, iTunes told me that my computer wasn’t authorized for my iTunes account. I entered my Apple Id and authorized my computer (it’s new). When I tried to sync, I got the same error message, but it had pre-filled in the email address that I first had with my Apple ID (not my current email, which I’ve been using for over 6 years). Since that email address is no longer attached to my account, the attempt to re-authorize failed. At that time, iTunes locked out 62 songs that I had purchased under that email address (out of 650 songs that I purchased using that email address), and deleted them from my iPod. The files are still on my computer, but I can no longer access or play them.

I called Apple Customer Support, and after over an hour talking to 5 different “geniuses” in customer service, technical support, application development, and management, their solution was to suggest that I just repurchase those songs since Apple no longer had the purchase records from that email address. And to make things worse, they couldn’t guarantee that the rest of my songs purchased under that email address and the other old email address (over 1100 songs altogether), wouldn’t be locked out the next time I accessed iTunes.

Where I come from, any computer application that seizes files on your computer, locks you out of them, and then demands that you pay money to get them back, is called Ransomware, and that is exactly what iTunes has become. I escalated this to Apple Corporate, but so far they haven’t even done me the courtesy of acknowledging receipt of my complaint.

I absolutely refuse to pay to get back something that I already bought through iTunes and have had no problems playing for the 13 years that I’ve been an iTunes user, and I don’t believe that I should be victimized by Apple’s poor record-keeping. If they’ve lost old purchase records, that’s on them, not on me.

I don’t believe for one minute that I’m the only person who has had this problem. And if you’ve ever changed the email address tied to your Apple ID account, you’ll probably have it, too, at some point. We need to let Apple know that this is unacceptable and that we expect them to fix their problem. Demanding that we pay again for what we’ve already purchased through them is not a solution; it’s a crime. Don’t let them get away with this. Speak up.

#AppleSucks #iTunesIsRansomware #IWillNotBeAVictim