Although the use of AirTag locators has many advantages, especially if we tend to lose items (keys, wallet, etc.) or hide them in unusual places, we are also increasingly receiving information about abuses using this solution. Now two women are saying stop and are suing Apple over this.
"It will help you find lost luggage, but it is also a dangerous tool in the hands of criminals."
AirTag is another great hit from the American manufacturer, which has been selling like hotcakes since its release in 2021. And it's hardly surprising because it's enough to attach such a tracker to keys, backpacks, wallets, suitcases, and other items to track their location live from the iPhone application. It quickly turned out, however, that criminals also found another use for it - there are many voices suggesting that thieves track cars they plan to steal in this way, and stalkers track their victims without their consent and knowledge.
"We've become aware that some people may be receiving unwanted tracking notifications for reasons such as borrowing someone's keys with an AirTag attached or traveling in a car with a family member's AirPods left inside. We've also seen reports of bad actors trying to misuse AirTag for malicious or criminal purposes~Apple wrote in February."
Apple is aware of the threat
As you can easily deduce from this statement, Apple is aware that AirTags are misused and has even taken specific steps to prevent this. On the manufacturer's website, we can read that the locator by its nature hinders unwanted tracing because when someone else's AirTag gets lost in our things (or is placed there without our consent), the iPhone will detect it and send us a notification. If you still can't find it, it will start beeping to make it easier to locate - the only question is, what if we don't use the iPhone ourselves?
Later, the manufacturer also made other changes to the way trackers work and added a message that warns users that using AirTags to track others is a crime, and Apple has the ability to identify the owner of such a tracker. However, not everyone believes this is sufficient protection, as evidenced by a new lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco, in which women victims of stalking accuse Apple of insufficient protection mechanisms.
Victims explain that AirTags make it easier for stalkers - in their case ex-partners - to track victims. One of the women explains that the tracking devices were used by her ex-husband, and put in their child's backpack to track her.
The lawsuit also cites the very unfortunate case of an Indiana man who was murdered by his partner after she tracked him through such a tracker. Apple has not yet decided to comment on the matter, but usually in such a situation informs about full cooperation with law enforcement authorities, so we can expect a similar message as recently:
"Apple works closely with various security groups and law enforcement agencies. Through our own assessments and discussions, we've identified even more ways to update AirTag security alerts and protect you from further unwanted tracking."
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