More than 30 stalking victims have come together for a class-action lawsuit filed in California against Apple due to alleged technology negligence on AirTags.
Read Also: DEA Officials Tracked Suspects With an Apple AirTag
Apple AirTags Used as Stalking Device
Ars Technica reported that in the lawsuit the victims are claiming that AirTags has become "one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers." The device can be easily acquired by such criminals and has been used to track someone's real-time location information.
In 2022, many people reported to authorities about AirTags being frequently used for stalking. By April 2022, there were more than 150 police reports recorded in the US. Recently, 19 AirTags stalking cases were reported in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The problem with AirTags has become a national concern as one plaintiff reported that she lost her son after his girlfriend allegedly tracked him using AirTags, followed him, and ran him over with her car, killing him on the spot. Other reports also showed that AirTags are commonly used by abusive partners or exes.
Apple Advertises AirTags as Stalker-Proof Device
While the function AirTags can be easily utilized by criminals, Apple firmly believes that they have done what they can to make it an anti-stalking device. "AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person's property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products," Apple wrote.
Apple issued last year an update on the AirTags which supposedly will solve the problems of unwanted tracking. For instance, the company released a new privacy warning during the AirTag setup which stated that users can only track their own belongings.
However, the victims who are suing Apple are determined that the company should be responsible for creating a device that has great potential to be misused. Moreover, Apple's efforts to update the safety features for AirTags do not remove the emotional distress and fear attached to it.
Related Article: Apple, Google Unite To Fight Bluetooth Tracker Stalking
