Two women say their partners were able to use hidden AirTags devices to track their movements and see where they were in real-time. They accuse Apple of not creating safeguards in its technology to stop stalkers from using the devices to track people and spy on them. AirTag is a device that Apple launched in April 2021. They are the size of a coin and can be attached to objects such as wallets, backpacks, travel bags, keys, and other items. They are trackable tags that help users to locate the item they are attached to. There have been concerns about the device before, as they can quite easily be exploited for more nefarious purposes. They are also relatively affordable at just $29.
Cases
Lauren Hughes, one of the plaintiffs in the case, found that he ex-boyfriend was using an AriTag to follow her during August 2021. After a three-month relationship, the ex left something outside her apartment so Hughes went to a hotel temporarily. When in the hotel, she received a notification saying the AitTag was moving too. She found it attached to the wheel of her car, wrapped in plastic and colored with a Sharpie to blend in. Apple has not publically responded to the lawsuit. However, the company has previously addressed concerns about AirTags “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,” the company said in a news release. “Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag.” You can read the full 43-page class-action lawsuit document here. Tip of the day: Did you know that your data and privacy might be at risk if you run Windows without encryption? A bootable USB with a live-linux distribution is often just enough to gain access to all of your files. If you want to change that, check out our detailed BitLocker guide where we show you how to turn on encryption for your system disk or any other drive you might be using in your computer.
