Apple whistleblower said her life is a “goddamn nightmare”

Apple whistleblower Ashley Gjøvik has called her life a “goddamn nightmare” in a recent interview after calling out the firm for violating workers’ privacy by gaining access to information via their mobile phones.

The former senior Apple engineer recently filed the complaint to the UK Data Protection Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which suggested the iPhone maker used unlawful data collection processes over “years and multiple countries” to gather personal information on its workers.

As a result, the UK’s information watchdog is now investigating the tech firm. An Apple spokesman told the paper at the time: “We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised”.

Gjøvik was notably fired from Apple last year after breaking company rules about leaking information to the public.

Speaking with the Telegraph, she said: “Should I have done this? The answer is always wholeheartedly yes, because it was all based on safety.”

“We need to reassess how we treat these companies. Every day that goes by they become more powerful, we become more dependent on them. We need to see more whistleblowers, we need to see more people coming out,” she added.

“It’s harder for people like me who were in a senior position [to speak out]. I was very embedded with executives and strategic decisions and I was paid a lot of money, so much money, I cry about that a lot. Last year I made $386,000, I believe.”