A class action lawsuit accuses Apple’s AirTags of becoming the “weapon of choice” for stalkers, sparking an alarming surge in stalking reports across the nation and beyond.
Ars Technica reports that Apple has found itself embroiled in a legal battle as more than three dozen victims unite in a class action lawsuit, alleging that the company’s AirTags have morphed into a “weapon of choice” for stalkers. The lawsuit, which has garnered the participation of victims allegedly terrorized by the misuse of this technology, has gathered a growing number of plaintiffs joining the cause.
Apple AirTag used in Stalking (The Washington Post/Getty)
AirTags, initially designed to assist users in locating lost or stolen items, have reportedly been exploited to enable real-time tracking of individuals, thereby facilitating stalking. The plaintiffs have expressed that the technology can be “easily, cheaply, and covertly used to determine real-time location information to track victims,” thus becoming “one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers.”
The lawsuit reveals a chilling uptick in stalking incidents involving AirTags, with more than 150 police reports in the U.S. as of April 2022 and a notable spike in international cases. One particularly distressing instance involves a plaintiff from Indiana, LaPrecia Sanders, who tragically lost her son after his girlfriend allegedly utilized an AirTag to trace his movements, subsequently following him to a bar and fatally running him over with her car.
The plaintiffs, residing in various locations including the U.S., Canada, and Ireland, have shared harrowing accounts of being stalked by individuals, some of whom were abusive partners or exes, utilizing AirTags in insidious ways such as concealing them in purses, car wheel wells, and even inside a child’s teddy bear. Others have reported being stalked by an unidentified individual with unclear motives.
Despite the positive intent behind the creation of AirTags, the plaintiffs argue that the technology has “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.” The lawsuit emphasizes that what sets AirTags apart from similar products is their “unparalleled accuracy, ease of use,” and affordability, with a price point of merely $29, making them accessible to a wide array of users.
The victims have accused Apple of being cognizant of the potential misuse of AirTags for stalking purposes, yet choosing to market them as “stalker-proof.” Furthermore, they allege that when the purported “stalker-proof” protections were unveiled as “totally inadequate,” Apple scrambled over the past two and a half years to “address its failures in protecting people from unwanted, dangerous tracking.”
Despite Apple’s efforts to enhance safety features, such as introducing iOS alerts for nearby AirTags, installing chimes in AirTags to aid victims in detecting and locating them, and launching an app named “Tracker Detect” for Android users to scan for AirTags, the plaintiffs maintain that the technology remains dangerous. One plaintiff, Brittany Alowonle, poignantly expressed the perpetual fear induced by the technology, stating, “Every day, I am reminded that me and my daughter are not safe.”
Read more at Ars Technica here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.