AirTags are extremely cheap, small devices made by Apple, that you can attach to your personal items in order to track and find them in case they get lost. While this sounds like a good invention on the surface, the reality is that these devices are causing terror all over the country.
AirTags were released in April of 2021, and they’ve been causing problems ever since. Apple argues that the device is not a tracker, because it establishes its location by sending signals to nearby iPhones. This allows the owner to then access it through the “Find My” app and see the location of the AirTag.
But the scary part begins when the AirTag is separated from its owner. When that happens, a scary notification gets sent to the device that is moving along with the tag, which reads, “AirTag found moving with you. The location of this AirTag can be seen by the owner.”
Just imagine coming home at night and receiving that scary notification, telling you that you’re being tracked. To me, this just sounds like the intro to a horror movie.
Apple claims that AirTags are made in a way that discourage stalking. However, that scary alert is the only anti-stalking ability that it has, aside from the small text telling you to call 911 if you feel like your life is in danger.
There have been consistent reports of people being tracked using AirTags, and arrests have been made as a result. Some police departments even urge people to call 911 if they receive the alert on their phones.
Just a few months ago, KTLA covered a story of two women who were tracked with an AirTag while shopping in Orange County. And in April, Vice reported that police received over a hundred reports involving AirTags, with 50 of those reports being women that were concerned about their location being tracked.
Apple supporters argue that being stalked with AirTags, which notify you, is much better than being stalked with devices that don’t notify you. But that doesn’t change the fact that Apple has made a serious mistake by adding more trackers into the circulation, which puts more people in danger.
If you receive a mysterious notification about an AirTag moving with you, tap the notification and follow the instructions on how to find and disable the tag. Then, contact law enforcement and file a police report.
The person in question will easily be identified because according to Apple, “Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement.”
If AirTags sound like a terrible invention to you, that’s because they are. Although Apple didn’t intend for AirTags to be used for tracking people, the misuse of this technology was very predictable and could have been avoided.
Giving people the ability to track others for $30 can be quite dangerous, which is why Apple must recall these devices immediately before more people are hurt.
