Apple AirTags stalking led to ruin and murders, lawsuit says — Dozens join lawsuit alleging Apple AirTags are stalkers’ “weapon of choice.”::Dozens join lawsuit alleging Apple AirTags are stalkers’ “weapon of choice.”

  • kobra@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Both android and iPhones get alerted to AirTags that follow them and I’ve seen it work extremely well. It even gives the option to play sounds from the AirTags or disable them entirely.

    What am I not understanding that makes AirTags the “weapon of choice” for stalkers?

    • a_fancy_kiwi@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The article has a report from at least one person claiming they can’t find the airtag even with the alerts.

      There’s also videos on YouTube that show you how to remove the speaker so without the UWB chip, I could see scenarios where people genuinely can’t find them.

      I’m not making the argument either way, just saying that a problem is there. Whether it’s Apple’s responsibility or not is up to the court

    • YoungLiars@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      Isn’t it on android you have to download an app and it only works with the app open? Or has that changed? Edit: that has changed, see response below

      I have two phones, one android (work) and one personal (iOS). They use different accounts so no connections between them. My android has never gone off, even with my bike that has an AirTag. My iPhone has gone off with a work colleagues AirTag but not the android phone which was in the same pocket the entire time.

      • tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk
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        1 year ago

        It’s built into the OS since apple and google agreed common standards for tag detection.

        The google compatible tags (which aren’t launched yet, possibly because of stuff like this) will be detected by apple devices too.

        • steal_your_face@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          If it’s now built into the OS that is great going forward, but how many phones have the latest OS? Like 10%?

        • YoungLiars@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          Glad they were so proactive to have a better solution, the app situation was a load of crap. Looked it up and found the setting on my phone and it’s enabled. It appears my AirTag wouldn’t set it off as i have the iPhone with the tag and therefore it is not considered separated. I’ll turn my iPhone off next time I ride my bike to see if that causes it to detect it.

          • cynar@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I’ve definitely seen the alert from Android, with no app installed. I knew about the tags in question however, so it wasn’t an issue. It took several hours to notice however. I’d imagine a false positive is a lot more of an issue than false negatives.

    • redcalcium@lemmy.institute
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      1 year ago

      How long the airtag has to follow you until you get the alert? If it’s long enough (e.g. a few hours), it still allows a stalker to slip one in your bag and find where you live.

      • capital@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Not long at all.

        I had a friend accept the shipment of my vehicle when I shipped it across the country. I couldn’t get there fast enough to accept it myself. I placed an AirTag in the glove box so I could keep track of its progress.

        The first time he drove the truck he calls me up saying his iPhone is saying there’s an AirTag traveling with him which is making noise and (jokingly) tells me he swears he’s not stealing the truck.

  • BReel@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    I see these articles all the time and they drive me insane. Yeah I could buy an air tag and modify it myself to remove the speaker and then use it for an illegal action. That’s not apples fault.

    I can also go buy a coffee, modify it by taking the lid off, and use it to assault a stranger by burning their face off. Is that Starbucks fault?

    This is on the individual deciding to commit a crime. Not on the tool used. We don’t sue the crowbar company when someone uses one to break into a home.

    IMO, apple has money, so people are just trying to see what they can grab.

  • phoneymouse@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Don’t you have to provide some personal data to use an AirTag? Like Apple ID, which would include some location data or IP addresses? If so, then I imagine you also can be found by law enforcement if someone find an AirTag on them.

    Why would anyone use an AirTag for stalking given that it could be traced back to you?

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    They alleged in an amended complaint that, partly due to Apple’s negligence, AirTags have become “one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers” because they can be easily, cheaply, and covertly used to determine “real-time location information to track victims.”

    One plaintiff from Indiana, LaPrecia Sanders, lost her son after his girlfriend allegedly used an AirTag to track his movements and then “followed him to a bar and ran him over with her car, killing him at the scene.”

    Plaintiffs claimed that AirTags are among products that have “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking” because every Apple device is part of the company’s expansive tracking network that’s being abused by stalkers.

    One Irish national, Àine O’Neill, had been living in California while launching a Hollywood career that was just taking off when she found AirTags inexplicably being used to monitor her every move.

    They also seek a court order “enjoining Apple from further unlawful, unfair, and/or fraudulent practices with respect to the design, manufacture, and release into the market of its AirTags.”

    Court filings show that Apple is expected to move to dismiss the lawsuit by October 27, when the company is required to respond to the amended complaint.


    The original article contains 912 words, the summary contains 205 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • Zerfallen@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    My friend was stalked for months via their airpods, which had been secretly paired with the stalker’s account.