[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 27, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING GRANT THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANN KIRKPATRICK

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2019

  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Grant 
Thompson, a 14 year-old in my district who found a glitch in Apple's 
FaceTime software that allowed iPhones to be turned into spying 
devices. He is a Freshman at Catalina Foothills High School whose 
interest in technology put him in a position to discover this critical 
flaw.
  The flaw Grant discovered allowed a user to be eavesdropped on before 
they actually accepted a call. Before his discovery, I'm sure millions 
of Americans used the app completely unaware of this very serious 
security and privacy violation. But Grant, his sister, and his mom took 
initiative to ensure this vulnerability was addressed, and for that, we 
should all be grateful.
  Grant is a lot like other freshmen--he spends time on Instagram, he 
plays Fortnite, and obviously, he enjoys FaceTiming with his friends. 
He is a humble young man who told me that he and his sister Lauren 
simply stumbled across the flaw. His mother, Michele Thompson, 
supported her son and reached out to Apple so that the flaw could be 
fixed, which Apple promptly did. Michele is rightfully proud of her 
son, and I am too.
  Grant's future is bright. I hear he dreams of one day being involved 
in a STEM-related industry, and I have no doubt that with hard work and 
his natural technology skills his dreams will one day become a reality.
  I thank Grant, Lauren, and Michele for protecting the privacy of 
people around the world. I also want to thank Apple for listening to 
the Thompson family and for rewarding Grant's work with an investment 
in his future. Arizona's 2nd Congressional District is excited to watch 
Grant grow and thrive.

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