A proposed class action lawsuit filed by Anthony Alvarez against Apple accuses the company of false advertising and fraud related to its Hide My Email service. The lawsuit, filed on July 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Apple sold privacy it could not provide, covering both iCloud+ plans and "Sign in with Apple" relay addresses.

The core of the complaint is an alleged unresolved flaw in Hide My Email, discovered by security researcher Tyler Murphy in June 2025 and publicly disclosed on July 1, 2026. While Apple stated a system change in March 2026 addressed the issue, testing indicated the vulnerability persisted. The flaw could potentially link a Hide My Email relay address to the user's real email account.

Crucially, the lawsuit does not allege that this vulnerability was ever exploited in an attack or that any user's email address was exposed. Alvarez claims financial injury, asserting he overpaid for his iPhone and iCloud+ subscription due to the misrepresented privacy feature. He seeks to represent four proposed classes of U.S. Apple customers, demanding damages and an order for Apple to fix the service or disclose its limitations.

The case is notable for seeking damages without evidence of actual misuse, framing the claim around the potential for harm and overpayment. The lawsuit was filed just 14 days after the vulnerability became public knowledge.